Maelstrom amongst the Dead
by Kyoto141092
Summary: When the dead arise a Hero will come...walking that is, never running, jogging, or skipping. You know why? Uzumaki's don't "skip". How will Naruto survive in the zombie apocalypse? How will he save his friends? And where has all the ramen gone? Find out in my First HOTD fanfic! Naruto/Saeko possible harem and lemons!
1. Prologue

**(Updated 6/14/18)**

 **Hey guy and galls! I'm back with a revision of my entire HOTD story, one chapter at a time. I should be done pretty soon after I post this. I'm not entirely sure. But I needed to go back and read through the story again to continue it. Sometimes all it takes to get past the writer's block it to take a break from the story and come back to it in a few weeks/months (depending on the story of course)**

 **Anyway this story wasn't up to par with my usual standard of writing so I decided a rewrite was in order. Keep in mind I'm not changing anying major. Just closing minor holes in the plot, spicing up the language… and cleaning up grammar…**

 **So I hope to like!**

 **(I don't own any part of Naruto or HOTD)**

 _ **Prologue**_

 _INTRODUCTION OF THE DEAD_

Kouta Hirano sat, uncomfortably as per the usual, in his science class. As a casual observer you might wonder why he was so uncomfortable. However to anyone in the classroom there was little doubt what the problem was. Three boys stood around his desk. A fourth sat on the top. The first of them was speaking, his tone friendly but his intentions far from benevolent.

"Hey Kouta... how ya doin? Seems to me like you did real well on the science exam... doesn't it boys?"

The others nodded, the boy on his desk shifting so he could pick up Kouta's science test. He examined it carefully as if memorizing a detailed list of answers. Others around the classroom observed the scene with mixed feelings. Some were indifferent while most wore looks of disgust. Yet disgusted or not no one so much as lifted a finger to help him.

The head bully smiled at Kouta, his lips twisting into a knowing grin. "So...Kouta? Do you mind if we borrow your eh... _notes_ for a while?" He grabbed the test from the boy on the desk who slipped off to high five his friends. Students were shaking their heads. Even their teacher was disappointed. Kouta never stood up for himself. And it did no good to intervene. Professor Michael was an old science wiz from America. He was in his late seventies and in poor health. They often had substitutes. But even their normal substitute teacher Ms. Buma was unable to keep the bullies in check when they were on a roll.

Kouta kept his head down as Professor Michael declared, "Excuse me! If you're done torturing the poor boy we have a transfer student today that I'd like to introduce."

The bullies turned around a moment. The leader of them, a boy named Takado, grinned. "Yeah, whatever gramps. Go ahead and bring the new kid in. We're not gonna be long. Kouta is just helping us with his notes ya know."

Michael sighed. Sometimes he wondered if he should ask the kendo club to teach a harsh lesson to these boys... It wasn't a bad idea. But if that happened they would just harass someone else who couldn't cope with it. He turned to where there was a tall boy waiting in the hall to be called in. "Come on in and introduce yourself."

The bullies took the time to take a good first look at the new kid as he walked in. Everyone stopped what they were doing. He strode in like he owned the place. He was tall, just under six feet probably but he looked Japanese. Not only that but he was dressed all in a black uniform, yet with no tie and not wearing the proper shoes. He was wearing mat black combat boots. He stood straight and turned on his heel.

Sharp blue eyes looked out at them. They were so...exotic. His blond hair was spiky like a hedgehogs, but longer than a normal boy's. With his hands still in his pockets he said, "Hey, the name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm not from around here and I just learned Japanese so cut me some slack if I don't always know what you're saying." He made very short bow to the class and tilted his head to the teacher. "Where do I sit sensei?"

Michael pointed to a chair behind Kouta. "That one there is free and feel free to call me professor young man. I'm not overly formal."

Naruto nodded and walked over. He had a small backpack which he slung off in preparation to sit. He walked toward the free desk, his hard blue eyes trained ahead of him. Then he stopped as one of the bullies with Takado stuck his foot out just a second before he was about to pass. The blond turned his head to look at the boy, giving him a cold glare. "Don't try tripping me again."

Then he highstepped over the offending leg. The bully who had been temporarily frozen by Naruto's glare grabbed him by the shoulder. He frowned dangerously at the new kid. "Hey don't give me that crap you dipshit. I'm the vice president of the student council! We're in charge here! So you give us some respect!"

Naruto turned back to look at the teacher. Michael looked away. He was embarrassed and guilty at his inability to deal with the situation. The class was still silent as Naruto turned back to the boy.

Kouta's jaw, along with several other students, dropped as he heard Naruto say, "Well, if that's how it is here..."

Naruto grabbed the hand on his shoulder and squeezed...hard. Everyone in the classroom heard an audible pop. The vice president screamed in pain and cradled his hand. As he flexed it there was another pop as his finger popped back into place. Naruto watched passively as the bully sank to his knees.

Everyone watched as Naruto growled. "I forgot to include in my introduction...I HATE bullies."

Takado took a step back as Naruto continued past him. Two steps later Naruto stopped by Kouta. Naruto looked at him and Kouta felt the glare lessen. Naruto wasn't smiling and yet he seemed to be ...It was just his eyes though. The look never reached his lips. "If you break someone's nose they'll generally try to avoid you from then on. It's worth the beating you might get."

Then Naruto handed him his science test. No one in the class had noticed him snatch it in the first place. It seemed as though it had magically appeared in his hand. Kouta took it with a quiet thanks. Naruto nodded slightly and took a seat behind him.

From that day on everyone knew who Naruto Uzumaki was...

It was a name to remember.

 **Ooo**

 _ **-Three months later-**_

 **Ooo**

Kouta made his way through the halls of the school to the lunch room. The room he considered to be the most dangerous in the school, at least for someone like him. So many ways to be targeted. And him especially. It wasn't enough that people thought he was fat. It wasn't enough that everyone thought he was a total nerd. But in the lunch room everyone was free to express just how they felt about it!

But there had been one positive development lately. A new student, a transfer from some other country. He was perhaps the most mysterious guy in school and every day at lunch Kouta sat at the same table. The same _empty_ table as him.

Or well maybe empty was the wrong word. Shunned might have been a better description.

Kouta walked into the cafeteria and his eyes immediately tracked to the left. That's where all the big tables were. The big tables were NOT popular. Even the goth students had their own smaller table to themselves. The main three tables were where you went to sit if you wanted (or needed) space. Most of the losers and weirdoes went to sit there. In perfect... almost perfect... solitude. However the problem a large part of the time was the isolation it's self. If you were alone you were an easy target.

And that's why he and a few other isolationists, as they were sometimes called, sat with Naruto. The tall blond boy didn't abide bullying. So those who wanted to ply their trade did it far out of his sight and hearing. Naruto had _lots_ of nicknames. All of them well earned one way or the other. One such nickname was "The Hound".

He'd earned that one because he could sniff out trouble almost anywhere. It was like had a sixth sense or something that told him when someone was in trouble. To this effect he was like a hero to all the outcasts. Those like Kouta looked up to them, not like leader, but more like a protector. If they sat at his table they didn't get bullied… period.

Kouta thanked his lucky stars that Naruto didn't mind the company… although he almost never talked. It was generally known among them that Naruto was a good guy. Rumors were always circulating about him helping other kids out, bullies or otherwise. Naruto had another nickname though. It was better earned than the first and equally feared by his fellow students. It had been a while since that incident. Kouta supposed that it branched from that first day at school, the day that Naruto had helped dispel the aura of bad luck around him, the day that he had _almost_ broke the fingers of the student council's vice president.

It had been a cold Tuesday and about the same time as it was now. Lunch time. And it was about two weeks after Naruto's introduction to the school. Takado and his cronies had gotten together to pull a prank on Naruto. A violent prank that, had it succeeded, probably would have resulted in their expulsion.

Naruto was walking into the lunch room alone as he always did. He was usually a little early but today he had come later. At that moment the sliding doors to the lunch room had slammed together. Naruto _somehow_ managed to get his plastic lunch container in between the two pieces of metal. His display of agility went further as he slipped out from them just as they crushed his lunch box.

After that Takado and his goons came out from the shadows. Somehow they had gotten their hands on a shock baton. Somewhat like a tazer, save for the fact that it was a melee weapon. They'd intended on trapping him between the two metal doors and then electrocuting him. Not lethally of course but it would have been very unpleasant.

Takado decided to go ahead and attack Naruto directly. Everyone in the lunchroom, including the two cooks, saw Naruto grab the baton with one bare hand. There was a loud buzzing sound followed by a hissing pop. Naruto had yanked it out of Takado's hand, snapped it in two, then gave Takado the two halves of the weapon.

Takado had glanced down at the two pieces, then looked back up just in time to get a face full of fist. Naruto's blow knocked him cold on the spot. Takado was out like a light before he hit the ground and Naruto hadn't even been fazed. He'd returned to where his lunchbox was and picked up the two packages of ramen that fell out. Then he went to his usual place at the loser's lunch table. It was a good twenty minutes before Takado woke up, his friends having abandoned him.

Kouta smirked at the memory. It had been the best thing he'd ever seen. And that event, along with a few other examples, was why Naruto had earned the nickname "Shinigami"

Looking across the table to where Naruto ate his ramen, it occurred to Kouta that he wouldn't even look scary if he wasn't always glaring. In reality Naruto had a very friendly face. And every once in a while, if you were lucky, you might catch a glimpse of his rare smirk. It seemed to happen at the oddest times. Kouta didn't know if it was a reflex or a response to something Naruto found funny but it made the guy seem really… cool.

Kouta had never actually seen Naruto smile. Not a real smile anyway. Everyone thought that something horrible must have happened to him for him to be such a loner from the get go. And with the way he despised bullies… Some kids guessed he'd been beat up when he was little or that a friend of his committed suicide from it. They couldn't really see too many other good reasons why he would be so violently opposed to it.

Kouta sighed and opened his lunch but kept an eye on him. He liked to watch the blond. For several reasons. Naruto was like one giant puzzle and he liked solving puzzles. Another reason was Naruto's muscles. It wasn't that he was gay or had any interest in art. But Naruto had like... way too many muscles.

If you were to look at any other boy in school you would probably see a slim boy. If you looked at the boys who did sports everyday you might occasionally get a glimpse of a four-pack... and that was the boys who did martial arts. But Naruto... He had a six-pack, like a literal _six-pack_. Kouta had seen it in gym. It seemed Naruto had no body fat. Maybe 2%. When he flexed his arms the muscles corded out. But at the same time he didn't look like a body builder. He looked like one of those Olympic athletes... That is, if it were possible to be one at seventeen.

That was another mystery for Kouta. Naruto got straight A's in _everything._ And that was responsible for another of his nicknames. The girls like to call him the "Dark Genius". It came from the fact that he would come in on Monday and get all his homework and then come in the next day with every paper finished. It shouldn't have been possible for him to so much work in such a short amount of time. But somehow he managed and managed well.

The mystery in all of this was twofold. The first question was how on earth he could possible do so much work so quickly. The second was why he started a grade behind and didn't bother to advance. But those were both questions that only Naruto could really answer a he didn't have the guts to ask.

A while later lunch ended and Kouta left for his classes. Fortunately the day passed quickly for him. He had something special waiting for him at home. It was his favorite day of the year. The day happened to be his father's birthday. His mom was the kind of person who would buy anything. And she almost always bought a new firearm for his dad. Many were technically illegal, but that didn't bother him. Lately his dad had been taking him to the firing range to try out the new guns... if they were legal. (granted not many guns were legal in Japan but oh well…) And he might not look like it but he was a very good shot.

Walking home around 3:30 he took the same rout he always took. Straight to his left and down an alley at the end of the street. Some people might ask why he was so fat if he had to walk to school every day, especially since he didn't live very close to school. The answer was quite simple. His mom was an excellent cook and there were always seconds, or even thirds, at his house. Put this together with the fact that he never exercised and you had the perfect situation for a fat nerd. Which... if he was honest with himself... was exactly what he was.

Kouta said under his breath, "Yeah, just me... a fat boy walking home after school."

A jeering voice agreed from just to his left. "Wow... look who seems to understand his situation _perfectly._ Hey Jiro! Look what we have here!"

Kouta looked up, fear crossing his face. _"_ _Oh shit... oh shit, Not now... not today of all days. Please just let them rob me and let me go."_

There were three men there. Two were Japanese. One was covered in tattoos from head to toe. He had a chain wrapped around his wrist and Kouta saw a gun holster... a nine millimeter from the look of it, stuck in his belt. The second guy, the one who had been spoken to, had a colossal mohawk. It was at least a foot tall and colored purple and green. This man, whose name was apparently Jiro, chuckled. "Okay okay, let's see what the little boy brought to his nice uncle Jiro..."

His grin was feral as glanced to his right. The third member of the gang was a scrawny black kid, barely older than Kouta himself, but dressed to the part. A street thug to every inch. The only thing that made him seem less fearsome was his diminutive size. Well that and when he smirked Kouta could see braces.

Kouta tried to back away from them. "I don't want any trouble! H..here's my wallet! Just let me go okay!"

"Yeah, yeah...we'll see. Show us what you got kid." He drew a long knife from his pocket and flicked it open with one grimy finger.

The black kid snickered. "Fool coming down _our_ alley. Shoulda damn well known better." He crossed his arms as Jiro motioned to the wallet that Kouta had already produced. Mr. tattoo took the black wallet and opened it up. Kouta stood stock still as the man sorted through it.

The tattooed man smiled widely and snapped the wallet shut. "Well he wasn't loaded but there's more than lunch money in this thing. Not from this neck of the woods I'd say. You can go kid... Just you make fucking certain that you never saw us. If some asshole asks you were your wallet went you just tell him you accidently lost it... got it?"

Kouta nodded quickly and ran out of the alley as fast as he could.

He ran all the way back home ignoring the killer cramp in his side. When he got home he ran up the stairs without speaking to his mother. And then we was in the safety of his room, his room, his secure place where no one encroached? Then he fell on his bed. His warm… soft bed. He thanked the gods that he hadn't been shot or stabbed. He also cursed that asshole Jiro. He had fifty dollars in his wallet that day. Not to mention his student ID and other stuff.

Kouta whispered to himself, "I should've kept an alternate wallet just like my dad said. That way I could have at least saved some face when I tell dad I lost all my identification and cards. Shit… Why does this stuff always have to happen to me?"

It was well over two hours before her went down for dinner.

 **Ooo**

 _ **-Next Morning-**_

 **Ooo**

Kouta took a seat in his home room class. He looked around. Every seat was full save for the class rep and Naruto's. It was a minute before the class rep came in and took a seat. That left Naruto's seat empty. Kouta thought it was a bit strange. The Shinigami was generally early.

Then the door opened and Naruto stepped in followed by the teacher. Naruto walked down the row of seats towards Kouta. It occurred to him that Naruto didn't have the seat behind him in this class. _"W_ _hy is he walking past me to his science class seat?"_ Then Naruto stopped in front of his desk.

Kouta looked up at Naruto. He was wearing his usual black uniform but he had a burnt orange shirt underneath. They locked gazes for a moment but he was unable to keep eye contact with Naruto. Those blue eyes were very intimidating sometimes.

He looked away but then Naruto spoke. "You accidently lost this. I found it yesterday evening on the way home." Naruto had reached into his shirt to withdraw a black wallet. Kouta's eyes went wide as Naruto set it on the desk and then turned to go to his own seat.

Kouta looked around. It seemed that a few people had heard the exchange. Behind him and to the left he heard a contemptuous voice say, "Jeeze, can't even keep track of his wallet, what a klutz." He knew that voice it as Saya the resident rich girl and coincidentally the most stuck up girl in the school. But he supposed that could be expected seeing who her parents were.

He looked back to his wallet, which had been miraculously transferred to him though the mysterious hands of the _Shinigami._ Kouta looked across the room to where Naruto had just seated himself. He didn't even glance back at him. It was unnerving. Had Naruto really passed by and picked up his wallet? And he had really bothered to bring it back to his owner?

He sighed. _"_ _Well at least I don't have to get a new wallet and IDs."_ Then he opened the wallet...

His money... _was still there_. Not a dollar was missing. Kouta blinked and then looked through his wallet. Nothing was missing. Not even the spare change in the side flap was gone. But there was something else there. A note. Kouta pulled it out and unfolded it. It wasn't a note at all. It seemed to be a quote from a manual of some sort

 _"_ - _Shortcuts always have a drawback. You should always be aware of the risks one takes.-"_

He reread it six times. He was sure. Naruto had somehow taken his wallet back from those guys in the alley. That was the only thing that made sense. And now Naruto was warning him not to use the alley again. But how the hell had Naruto, a teenager, taken down three armed thugs? And even if he hadn't fought them, how could he had stolen it back or talked them into returning it? It didn't make any sense. It just didn't make sense...

Meanwhile, as Kouta stared at his wallet completely dumbfound, a girl at the back of the class twiddled her fingers… watching Naruto.

Her name was Rei Miyamoto and Naruto always sat in the seat in front of her somehow. In science she sat behind him and he sat behind the fat otaku Kouta. In Literature they both sat in the middle row with Naruto squarely in the middle of the classroom. In the homeroom they both sat by the window but she _still_ sat behind him.

As such she had ample opportunity to observe him. And from what she had seen of him in three months... he was still just as much a mystery as anyone else in the school combined. He was smart, fit, handsome, and at the same time anti-social. He didn't make friends with anyone. But he didn't seem to have an aversion to making enemies. As it was just about every boy in the school hated him... Why? Because just about every girl in the school had a secret crush on him.

Herself included. He was so dark and cool and… had she already mention how fit he was? He was like the perfect athlete not that he did any sports that she knew of. Not only that but he was tall… with broad shoulders and a slim waist. He had strong legs and arms but he wasn't buff as some girls might call him. He was all lean muscle _although_ it was rumored that he had a six-pack. But since the boys and girls sports rarely mixed she'd never seen evidence of this though she wouldn't have doubted it.

Her eyes burned into the back of his blond head as she pondered what to do. _"_ _If only I could get him to join one of the martial arts clubs. He has the perfect body type for just about anything besides Aki-do. He's too tall for that. I just wish he wouldn't ignore everyone. He's worse than Takashi sometimes.'_

Rei grimaced. Thinking about Takashi made her irritable, which in turn made her want to vent her feelings to someone. And that always led to her getting flustered. Mainly because the only person she felt comfortable talking to was Takashi and _he_ was what she wanted to complain about! His lazy nature and his non-committal...everything. He was probably the most boring boy in school!

Quickly becoming lost in thought Rei started imagining how she might get Naruto to join Kendo club. He seemed more the kendo type. She didn't think he'd go for spear work for some reason. It was just a hunch but she was usually pretty good with her hunches.

The problem was she never had any good feeling about how to ask or suggest to him that he join any club, much less Kendo. It wasn't as if he was particularly approachable. She never saw anyone openly asked him out or request anything from him but she knew girls did it and all the time too. He was the best of both worlds, a bad boy and a good boy. All the girls liked his mysterious aura and how at the same time he stood up for everyone. Those few girls who didn't like him… well they said they did to fit in.

Rei wondered if it was true that the head of the Student Art committee had asked him to model. It was an interesting rumor. She couldn't think of anyone brazen enough to ask Naruto to pose nude for a classroom. And a class made up entirely of girls on top of that.

Behind her, her friend Mika asked, "Hey Rei, what are you thinking about?"

Her friend's voice was a bit too loud. The teacher silenced them with a stern look. Rei pulled out her notebook and wrote in the corner. " _Trying to think of a way to get Naruto to join Kendo._ " She tore off the corner and passed it to her. Mika took a moment to read it before passing it back with a message written on the back.

" _I would ask him for you. Maybe at Lunch huh?_ "

Rei turned her head and nodded once. Mika could always be counted on to do what needed to be done. (mental giggle) But then again, seeing how Mika didn't take any combat related electives it would be strange for her to ask Naruto...unless she was planning to join it right afterwards. Thought if Rei considered her own situation she wasn't in kendo either so she had nothing to say really.

The scraping of a chair drew her eyes to Naruto again. He had stood up and silently moved to leave the class room. She looked at her watch. Yep it was time for lunch already. The class had seemed to pass so quickly.

That was another thing. Naruto didn't stay in the class even a second longer than mandatory. Rei turned to Mika behind her and said, "Well, let's get to business shall we?"

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Rei and Mika sat at a table with a few other girl and two boys. They weren't focused on their food though. They were concentrating on working out a plan that was guaranteed to get Naruto into the Kendo club.

Rei leaned forward, speaking in a hushed voice. "If he thinks we're just hitting on him then he's going to shrugged us off. So we need to do it together."

Mika nodded. "Yeah, but I bet he does something to keep in shape. He must have some sort of gym membership or workout that he does like every day, three times a day, with that body."

Rei had to agree. He didn't do sports as far as she knew so he must have had some kind of daily exercise. With his body type... it also must have been something awfully strenuous. "He might do par-core. Do you think with a body like he has, that might be it? No... He doesn't seem the type now that I think about it."

Mika jerked her head to the side. "Hey look, there he is. Let's go get to him before his table starts filling up with the weirdoes."

Rei nodded and they stood up. They brought their plates with them and moved to his table where they sat down. Rei could hear her other friends asking her what she was up to but she ignored them. She had a boy's heart to steal... In that aspect she and Mika were definite rivals.

Naruto glance up as they sat down across from him. They didn't try to sit next to him. That was just asking to get brushed off as fangirls. He didn't speak though, merely continued eating. Rei and Mika shared a glance. This was _slightly_ harder than anticipated. Now that they were sitting across from him it seemed like there were gags in their mouths.

Five minutes passed and neither of them had asked him anything, nor started in on their lunches again. The silence wore on… becoming more and more awkward with each passing minute. Eventually though the tension was broken as Naruto sighed and put down his fork. He looked up and his blue eyes were questioning. "Okay... I'll admit this is a creative use of the silent treatment. If you wanted me to feel uncomfortable you've succeeded. Now is there actually something you two wanted?"

Mika nodded, silently thanking whichever god had answered her prayers, and smiled. "Well, Naruto-sempai, we were wondering if you wanted to join the Kendo club." She attempted to sound chipper but it came out as nervous.

Naruto raised one eyebrow. Rei coughed lightly to hide her smile. She'd never seen him even raise an eyebrow before. And it was funny to see Mika so flustered. The blond blinked slowly as if digesting this. Then he grunted and returned his attention to his food. "I don't need to take any martial arts classes." He bent his head as if dismissing them.

Rei blinked. _"_ _Wow, I've never imagined he'd be this hard to crack. I guess I thought that all the other girls were just being incompetent... At least he has a sense of humor."_ She gathered her nerve and plunged boldly on. "But no one knows what you can do Naruto-sempai. You're like the biggest mystery in school. Going to kendo would be great for making some friends."

Naruto's tone all but dripped sarcasm at this point. "Is this where you tell me that you'd even be willing to take Kendo with me? And that it would be really great for my health?" His gaze settled on her with something akin to distaste. "What good is kendo class exactly? I'm not allowed to carry a katana around. So when am I going to use what I learn in Kendo? Do you think I'm interested in the international kendo tournaments? Well I'm not. And I'm not interested in being popular or being cool or even being _un_ cool. In reality I don't really care what anyone thinks of me. So... Miyamoto-san... give me a good reason why I should take kendo."

Rei smirked, thinking she had the perfect answer lined up and ready. " _Because_ it's fun and you obviously don't have any other way to spend your time seeing how you don't take any electives. And incase no one told you, fifteen elective credits are required each year to pass."

At that his expression finally changed to something resembling surprise and he leaned forward slightly "Did you say that I'm _required_ to take an _elective_?"

She nodded. _"Could it be possible that he doesn't know that? That's weird."_

Seeing her nod Naruto sighed. He scratched his cheek with one finger. Her eyes were drawn to his whisker marks. This was really the closest she been to seeing them up close. They made him look exotic and she imagined that they would be cute if he smiled.

"I guess… I'll take Kendo then. It's better than art or music. And seeing how you're so insistent why don't you help me get enrolled."

Rei mentally cheered for her success. "Okay Naruto, I'll take you to see Saeko-sempai. She's the head of the Kendo club. She'll set you up."

She saw Naruto nod once then he _inhaled_ the rest of his lunch. Once second it was there and the next it was gone. She had to blink to make sure she'd seen that right. Naruto stood up. "If we're going then let's go now. I want to get this over with."

Rei stood as well wondering at his sudden desire to make things go faster. He was usually pretty chill. _"_ _He's enthusiastic at least, but not in the same way as I had hoped. Oh well. At least I succeeded where no other girl has."_ She couldn't help but smile as she heard people at other tables whispering about them. However her gaze remained fixed on the blond. "Okay Naruto-sempai follow me. Saeko is probably eating in the sparring room."

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Rei opened the door to the kendo room a few minutes later. Naruto looked around as if scoping out this new location. It was honestly kind of cute how cautious he seemed. Rei walked up beside him. "You never watched any of the fights?"

"No, I watched one, but it was lame so I didn't bother coming again."

Rei cringed inwardly at his blunt statement. She hung back to watch with Mika as Naruto walked fully into the room. It bore a great resemblance to a large dojo. It had traditional paneling and furniture, even dummies in the corner. Naruto didn't see any Shinnai or Bokken lying around. All he saw was two neatly folded pairs of Kendo padding with the helmet on top.

Mika asked quietly, "What is he looking for?"

Rei put a finger to her lips. "He's just checking the place out. No need to worry."

Just as she spoke a stealthy figure materialized out of the shadows on the other side of the room. Rei recognized her. She had long straight hair of a deep purple, which hung down her back and over her eyes in a V shaped bangs. Her clear blue eyes were evidently focused on Naruto. She wasn't wearing any armor as she stole cross the floor towards the blond.

Both Rei and Mika kept quiet, nervous tension filling them. Was Saeko attempting to test Naruto or had she heard his comment about lame fights? They stood silent as she approached.

Across the room Saeko Busujima scowled as drew in close to her target. She was within spitting distance on the blond. And boy was he going to get a nasty surprise if he thought he could insult her club's honor. Calling her fights lame! He had some nerve. If she had her way he would be walking out of here with a large lump on the back of his head. She clutched her bokken tighter and took one more step, exhaling silently as she did so. Then she pulled back her arms and took aim for his spiky head.

She smiled as she put around half her physical power behind the blow. At full power she could kill him. As it was it would only stun.

The wooden sword came swishing down through the air.

And Naruto reached up behind his head without looking and casually caught it. There was a meaty slap of wood on flesh. Saeko' eyes widened in astonishment as she felt the wooden sword ripped from her grasp. She attempted to hold on, but instead of keeping her hands on her weapon, she stumbled forward.

Regaining her footing quickly she straightened then gasped. She found herself standing nose to chin with him. He'd turned around and was holding her bokken by the hilt. His gaze pierced her through, expression hard… but there in his something in his expression. Something like amusement or intrigue, their matching blue eyes forming a solid line between them.

Naruto moved the sword between them, offering it to her. She gripped it and then glanced back up at him. He took a step back and inclined his head ever so slightly. Then inexplicably he smiled. Not a big smile but it was very _good_. It changed his whole demeanor instantly. He went from brooding and hostile, to mischievous and friendly. The corners of his lips stretched out to curl the ends of his whisker marks… giving him a definite vulpine aspect.

Saeko took in his features. The spiky blond hair, tanned skin, deep blue eyes. His white teeth, unusually sharp canines, and three diagonal lines on either cheek. Then her gaze fell downward. He was very tall and he was well proportioned with an athletic build. Over all he was a handsome young man. He looked her same age too.

Saeko started as he extended a hand. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm here to join the Kendo class." Dropping her sword to her side she shook his hand.

She decided that school might actually be interesting this year.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **So there is the prologue. So my readers, please tell me what you think so far. I don't have much to say for this first chapter as I'd like to keep things...** _ **mysterious.**_ **Anyway please review!**

 **(Updated 6/14/18)**

 **Yes… Naruto is acting like Sasuke. No… he will not continue to act like Sasuke much longer. This is an act people. Read my other stories… I have never written a story in which Naruto acts like Sasuke for any length of time. With the possible exception of the Dark Naruto personality in Sealing Twilight. But that doesn't count.**

 **So… again as always… please review!**


	2. 1 Harbinger of the Dead

**(Updated 6/14/18)**

 **(I don't own any part of Naruto or Highschool of the dead)**

 _ **Chapter 1**_

 _Harbinger of the Dead_

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

"Arrg!"

Rei growled loudly as she sat in her plush armchair in her house. It was just so aggravating. It had been two days since Naruto had joined Kendo. Well to be more accurate it had been two days since she and Mika had joined Kendo.

Naruto hadn't really joined so much as welcomed in with open arms. Saeko after her interesting encounter with Naruto had insisted on introducing him to all of the other members. In other words he'd grabbed the spotlight without even trying... again.

But that wasn't the part that annoyed her. What made her want to stab him with something long and pointy... (Maybe a needle coated in sleeping poison. That way she could tie him up and have her way with him.) …was that he was still ignoring her! And almost in spite the fact that she had suggested it!

The fact that she was a prominent member of the Sojutsu club _should_ have counted for something. But...no. After all the work and thought she'd put into getting herself into a position where she could be close to him... he... he treated her the exact same way! It was like nothing had changed. He was still completely indifferent to her! And when they did interact it wasn't friendly. It was just that…

Interaction.

Even when they had sparred with each other that morning, he'd been distant.

Rei grimaced and massaged her rear. Distant or not he'd still kicked her ass… literally. She'd never gotten in a fight with someone who knew so many dirty moves. Even if he had been completely outclassed by her she doubted she would stand a chance against him. Naruto didn't seem to have a style. He didn't understand the concept of a set routine. When he fought it was 100% improvisation. He knew how to block and how to strike. The rest of it he just made up on the spot. It was undeniably effective. She had the bruises to prove it. He damn sure wasn't afraid to hit a girl full force.

Rei rose out of her chair and then let herself fall onto her bed with a groan. That wasn't the only part that really got to her. The other part that made her irate. Not just mad, but furious, was how close Saeko had gotten to him in just two days. It wasn't as if he and the Kendo club captain were best friends or anything, but they talked. They _actually_ carried out a normal conversation.

She couldn't even get him interested in anything. Naruto didn't care about games of any kind. He didn't care about money it seemed. She assumed his parents must have been rich. Naruto didn't care about politics either at the school or national level. When she'd tried to ask him what his favorite show on TV was, he said that he didn't even watch TV. And before she could respond he'd said that he didn't read the newspaper or listen to the radio either.

Rei could assume that he enjoyed fighting since the first time he'd ever smiled was after he was attacked. But other than that he didn't have anything else that she knew he enjoyed. _"It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't suck at Kendo. I'm a spear girl not a sword maiden like Saeko. Damn, I wished I'd joined it before I asked him. Maybe then I could have upped my game a bit."_

Rei heard her father calling from the living room for her to come eat. She sighed and got off the bed. Her butt still hurt. She would have to smack Naruto upside the head for it sometime...at least Kendo was good for that much.

 **Ooo**

 _ **-One week later-**_

 **ooo**

Takashi Komuro sat on a bench in the kendo room. It was a bit early for him to be there, but the Kendo club members always came very early. A few enthusiastic members even cut class for it. And Rei... for some reason… had decided to join this class in addition to her Sojutsu activities. He didn't know why she would take a second martial arts course at the same time. She already got hurt often enough. But to add bruises from wooden swords on top of bruises from wooden poles?

He watched her talking with her friend Mika. It bewildered him. Why did she want him to come to watch her anyway? Wasn't she trying to get that blonds number? Naruto Uzumaki was it? Did she have some plan to make Naruto jealous or did she honestly want to show off to him. He'd thought that she'd had enough of his "lazy" attitude towards everything. But maybe he was wrong?

He supposed there was a chance that she was trying to catch his attention again. It would be nice. She gave him a lot of chances and he was thankful for it. If that's what this was he might even get the courage to tell her how he really felt.

Yet as he sat there he saw Saeko enter the room with the familiar blond boy. In the past week they had become what might be called friends. Even though they were in different years the two of them always seemed to be together. But they certainly weren't boyfriend and girlfriend. Naruto, regardless of spending time with her, rarely spoke.

Takashi had heard a rumor that Naruto had beat Saeko in a swordfight, but no one could confirm it. However he thought it was true. Saeko was very confident in her skills. Some might say a bit too confident. He'd seen her fight enough times, once even on TV, to know she was an expert. He knew her dad was supposed to be some big shot Kendo master. It explained why she was so obsessed with it. And to an extent why she and Naruto got along. He was obviously a kendo nut as well.

Seeing Naruto and Saeko talking made him start. He realized that he'd never seen Naruto smile. Not even once. And here he was grinning. Saeko was also smiling readily and… if his eyes weren't fooling him… her cheeks looked a bit pink.

Takashi's focus was drawn back to Rei. She too had turned to watch Saeko and Naruto, the two of which were quickly suiting up to spar. Takashi couldn't help but wonder at their enthusiasm. _"Wow...they don't waste time do they? Coming in and its right down to fighting."_

He leaned forward to watch.

 **Ooo**

Saeko watched Naruto shrug on the tough leather chest piece and shoulder protection. They had already settled that they wouldn't wear helmets for the warm-up fight, not that their warm up fights could really be called such.

Naruto stretched luxuriously and raised his bokken. He was ready.

She smiled and raised her own sword. It wasn't as though he wasn't _always_ ready. She'd attempted to flirt with him, just once to see how he'd react. Unfortunately she'd chosen the wrong way to do it. Evidently when she'd snuck up behind him to give him a sensual kiss on the back of his neck as she wrapped his arms around him... he'd been wired.

One moment she had been slipping her arms around him and the next she was flat on her back in front of him. It had hurt like hell. She certainly hadn't attended practice that day. But, despite the fact that she nearly got her shoulder dislocated... she didn't regret it. It had given her a chance to see two new and different sides to the school's most mysterious boy.

At first he'd been angry. Not angry that she'd crept up on him, but pissed at himself for reacting like that. It gave Saeko an idea. It was yet another thing that she didn't know about him. How could he pull off a move like that by reflex?

It begged other questions as well. For instance, where had he lived before attending school there? Had it really been so stressful and or dangerous that he developed that kind of response to any surprise?

After Naruto's initial anger faded she'd seen another _side_ to him. His apologetic side. It was cute… like really cute. He hadn't stopped until she'd told him about ten times that she was alright and she wasn't hurt. (Even though she was) And even then he'd insisted on carrying her to the nurse's office, something that she didn't mind him doing… though it stung her pride a bit.

Saeko had come to realize many things in the short time since that incident. The greatest of which she could not accurately judge. One thing that had caught her though. Naruto was a very caring person and it left her wondering… why did he hide his true nature?

Saeko was snapped out of her thoughts by her own physical reaction to danger. Instinctually she brought her bokken up to block Naruto's casual swing. Except it only looked casual. Naruto's sword connected with her with a loud CRACK!

She put other thoughts aside for the fight. Naruto was a very challenging fighter. He didn't have any technique. He didn't practice kadas. In fact he had no real talent for swordsmanship at all. However he was strong and ridiculously fast. Not to mention his unconventional lack of style of fighting gave her few openings.

He always seemed to be able to gauge her weak spot just by looking at her. He didn't need to strike to test an opening. That was another thing about Naruto that she just couldn't puzzle out. _"Where the hell did he learn to fight?"_ Naruto swung for a headshot. She blocked it but he was already closing the distance between them.

She pushed her guard down to keep him at bay but he let his bokken slide off hers. Then he was spinning to the side. _"Another one of his amateur but for some reason crazily effective moves."_ He reached out to grab her wrist. She was used to him grappling in the middle of a fight and she quite enjoyed the challenge. It added a new level of difficulty.

Saeko pulled back. However she knew that she wouldn't be able to twist free of his grip. His hands might as well have been made of cast iron for all their strength. Therefore a different approach was needed. She swung in a looping arc for his neck while twisting out of the way of his thrust, which he had started as he grabbed her.

Naruto craned his head to the side, just barely enough to avoid the blow. Her sword went harmlessly over his blond locks. Had he been wearing a helmet she would have connected with it and won the match. But he wasn't wearing a helmet so she'd have to work harder for her victory. Saeko's analytical mind examined him even as Naruto was already drawing back for another blow.

She stopped resisting the hand pulling on her and allowed him to drag her forward. His next strike connected with her side, but it was at a bad angle. She underestimated how fast he would swing again though. The next strike was still below the power level of a callable shot, but if he hit her again he'd put enough force into it.

Bringing her bokken right over her head and keeping it flat against her back, she blocked his third strike. Saeko was unable to restrain a slight yelp of pain as the back of her bokken was slammed into her butt cheek and she flushed pink. She attempted to pull away then. At this distance... at this angle… she wouldn't be able to land a solid hit on him either.

But Naruto kept his arm locked. She frowned, attempting to maneuver out of the situation. Then she saw why Naruto was keeping her close. He'd reversed his grip on the bokken and was about to stab her in the side. He was too strong to pull away from and her sword was in the wrong hand to deflect it. There was only one thing to do. She arched her back into him.

She smirked.

The point of his sword scraped the small of her back as this time it was his turn to blush. Then he was overbalancing. Saeko felt the grip on her arm loosen and took the opportunity to twist free.

Saeko gasped then. The very tip of Naruto's bokken had swung by her chest as he felt backwards. It hit the leather chest piece with enough force to send a ripple through her cleavage. It stung… pleasantly even as she brought her own sword around. She smiled and pressed the attack.

Immediately Naruto called on his nearly impossible agility to catch his fall... and perform a twisting hand stand as his momentum carried his feet over his own head. Saeko marveled at his flexibility as she aimed for his stomach. But then Naruto performed his second nearly impossible stunt a split second later.

As Saeko's bokken drew close Naruto tensed his arms. Then he used only the strength in them to jump upwards and over her swing. Saeko's eyes went wide as he did a back flip over her weapon and came down, firmly on his feet.

Then Naruto had his sword in hand. Saeko knew that his next strike would land and it would hurt.

Naruto bokken impacted her side, but it had no force behind it. Saeko looked into his face. He'd suddenly gone pale... as though from fright or sever blood loss. Naruto's hand dropped the bokken. Then without warning he fainted.

Saeko was frozen as she watched him drop unconscious to the floor. The clatter of her own sword matched Naruto's as she dropped it. Then she was kneeling over him checking his pulse. Shouts from several people heralded the approach of the rest of the club members. Rei arrived first.

"What happened?!"

"I don't know. He might have strained something with that last maneuver. Regardless we need to get him to the nurse's office. Shizuka will know what's wrong with him."

The other students nodded.

Saeko gestured to Rei. "Rei help me pick him up. Don't worry he isn't that heavy."

Rei nodded but she blushed slightly as she levered Naruto up. It was several moments before her and the other girl coordinated enough to carry him easily. She was right. Naruto was surprisingly light. Rei wondered distractedly how Saeko had known that about him and was secretly gratified to see that Saeko was flushed a much deeper shade of pink than before.

 **Ooo**

 **-** _ **Two hours later-**_

 **ooo**

Naruto woke feeling sore and utterly exhausted. He didn't bother opening his eyes. He knew what he would find. Not the outside world but the cage inside his mind where Kurama rested. He'd been tired for a long time. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep in months and... that didn't even include the nights when he couldn't sleep at all.

Kurama's deep rumbling voice sounded strained as well. **"I can't keep going on like this Naruto... I'm going to have to rest sooner... or later. If I don't then my chakra will run out and we will both die slowly. You need to swallow your reluctance and go into sage mode... regardless of how repulsive it feels here."**

He didn't bother speaking to the fox. He'd heard this all before. It was the same thing every night. Every time he used a jutsu it was the same warning. But it wasn't as if he could do anything about it. He was trapped here. This strange, difficult world where little or nothing made sense.

 _"How long have we been here? I can't even remember."_

Kurama realized that Naruto wasn't paying attention. He sighed loudly. **"Going on nine months."**

"And how many times have I tried to get home?"

Kurama let out a sound that resembled a pained whine. It was a sound he would have expected from a dog, but not the Ninetails. **"I stopped counting. Perhaps if you stopped experimenting with the reverse summoning jutsu..."**

Naruto growled. "No... I can't give up. The village needs me. They can't win without my help. Everyone is in danger while I'm stuck here!"

 **"Don't...play the fool Naruto. You've been pretending to be like that stupid Uchiha for the last six months. You have managed to be careful for all this time. I can't call you stupid any longer, but you need to wake up! No matter how many times you use up 99.9 percent of your chakra on a reverse summoning jutsu... we can't leave that way. Even with our chakra combined we failed. Give up and start reserving what chakra we can for everyday use!"**

Naruto knew Kurama was right. They had tried every means at their disposal to get home, but every single attempt left him gasping on the floor of his apartment. During the day he barely could keep his act together. He'd been resorting to shadow clones more often than he'd like. And even those were hard to do. For some reason this... world, dimension, or whatever the hell it was. It didn't have even a fraction of a fraction of the chakra his did.

He needed to stay still for nearly a half a fucking hour just to enter sage mode. Back home it took him less than a minute. And other things were screwed up too. For instance almost _no one_ had chakra. So far... he met about two. TWO people in nine months. And the two people who did have chakra...were... pathetic. He could have killed them in less time than it took to blink.

Hell a ten year old Hinata could wipe the floor with the entire school. It was just so aggravating. His chakra recovered at only an infinitesimal sliver of what it once did, thanks to the injuries he'd sustained before coming here. He had to concentrate for minutes to use summon more than three shadow clones. And Rasengan? _Forget about it._ Sage mode was required just to get it started. And then Kurama had to pitch in to finish it.

So in effect he was limited to standard chakra manipulation. He could readily say that he'd become a master at that since being stranded here. Sakura wouldn't be able to hold a candle to him if he ever got back home. Then again... with the amount of chakra he could summon on short notice. He could either give himself extreme speed and strength for a little while... or her could do what Sakura did and time each attack for massive damage.

But there was one good thing about this world. He hadn't encountered anyone who would stand up against him in a real fight... not even one. If he wasn't using enhancement techniques and he was unarmed. All of Kendo club might... just might be able to take him down. But at it was he could beat them all bound and blindfolded.

Naruto heard Kurama mutter quietly. **"Don't do anything foolish. I'm going to sleep, so you're on your own for a while..."**

Naruto nodded and snapped himself out of his trance.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Saeko and Rei watched as Shizuka opened Naruto's uniform and then performed a minimal inspection. She put her head to his chest then checked his pulse two or three other ways to be sure. Eventually she straightened and looked down at the young man with a perplexed expression. "He doesn't seem to be unwell. His pulse is strong and normal." She looked up at the two girls. "Are you sure nothing happened prior to his fainting?"

Saeko shook her head and Rei shrugged. "He pulled some amazing acrobatics just before, but other than that, no."

The president of Kendo club watched Shizuka. She was young for a teacher at this school. Only twenty seven. Her long blond hair matched her personality, which was ditzy. In fact she was a classical definition of a ditzy blond. Saeko wondered if she fit the stereo type in other ways. It certainly looked like she'd traded brains for bra size.

But then again she was treating Naruto, so she wouldn't complain.

She was caught off guard as Shizuka sighed in resignation. "Okay then there's nothing for it. Help me remove his shirt. If he strained or popped something I need to check now."

Rei and Saeko exchanged looks. Saeko had abruptly gone pink. Her eyes darted furtively to the blond. Then they went over and helped take Naruto's shirt off. It would have been so much easier if he had worn a button up. But instead he wore a burnt orange T shirt under his uniform. Both took note of the customized red swirl on the front, though they didn't know what to make of the rough stitching around the edges.

It required a little more effort than it might have to remove the shirt. It was tight on him and they were attempting to touch him a little as possible. Or at least Rei was trying not to touch… Saeko seemed to be feeling his muscles appreciatively. Rei wondered what would happen if he woke up to find three girls undressing him.

He'd probably just yawn and act bored.

Shizuka gasped as they finally pulled the shirt off. Rei and Saeko stopped as well. Naruto's chest and shoulders were... almost chiseled, like a stone carving from a Greek museum. His tanned skin was even all the way from forearm to forearm, showing that he must work out without his shirt a lot.

But that wasn't what caught their attention. What caught their eyes were the patchwork of scars and in particular the massive one just over his heart. It was the size of a fist and it was jagged. Rei put her hand to her mouth in shock. There was also a long swirling scar over his stomach. Its ridges of slightly paler skin rippled with his six-pack. Temporarily more interested in examining his many scars they forgot all about their reason for being there.

Rei traced a scar high up on Naruto's right arm. It ran completely around the bicep. Then there were the neat circles that ran down his chest. Six on his chest in total. They looked like they had been made by bullets, but they were so evenly spaced...

Saeko gasped as she turned his hands over. "Look at his hands. I never got to look at them up close. I've never seen so many tiny scars." And she was right. Naruto's palms had dozens of scars on each one and both hands had a round scar on the back and palms of his hands.

Shizuka sounded horrified, "I've...never seen anyone... so...much damage."

Saeko muttered, "It's strange. He doesn't have any scars on his face... I wonder why." She hovered over him and pulled back his hair, checking his forehead. There was a small scar. It was jagged line just under his hair line. There also seemed to be a divot in his skull. Saeko's blue eyes watched his own sleeping face.

Then as she watched his own eyes opened. They were... different. The pupils were slitted like a cat's and there seemed to be a red ring around the outside of his iris. Naruto blinked and his eyes were back to normal.

She drew back hurriedly as Naruto sat up and looked around. He brought a hand to scratch over his stomach, yawned loudly, and then adjusted himself to his surroundings. Eventually he acknowledged Saeko, Rei, and Shizuka.

"Uh... where am I?"

Shizuka explained quickly. "You're in the school nurses office. You fell unconscious at Kendo practice. Your friends brought you here, but I was unable to find anything wrong. Are you ok? Do you have some kind of medical condition?"

Naruto attempted to put his mask of "coolness" back on but was unable to do so. He was just too tired. He mumbled, "Yeah...you could say that, but there isn't anything you can do about it. I just needed some rest is all."

Rei leaned in close. "But why did you collapse?"

Naruto had to ask himself that question first. Then it occurred to him. _"Oh...my shadow clone back at the apartment must have run out of juice. Then he transferred his exhaustion to me. Damn I hate this world."_ He grinned. "I...uh... was just tired."

Rei asked rhetorically, "So you were so tired that you decided to do a back flip strait out of a handstand?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head embarrassed. He looked away from her. "Yeah...I guess so..." He trailed off. It was blatantly obvious that he was withholding information. That reminded him of why he had been acting like someone he wasn't. When he was impersonating someone it was easy to lie. But right now his mind was blank. He took note of their disbelieving looks and quickly tried the first thing that came to mind. "I'm fine... Don't worry about me. I just need to rest a bit more and I'll be fine."

" _Please don't call me out, please don't call me out!"_

Rei nodded. "We should take you home then. You need to rest. Where do you live?"

" _Shit..."_

Naruto coughed once and tried his best not to sound _too_ suspicious. "Well about that. I don't exactly live close by so maybe I can just rest here and go home after school..."

Saeko and Rei were looking at him... well… suspiciously. Shizuka seemed puzzled too for some reason. "But I see you walk to school every day. You always go past my friend Rika's place. It's not that far."

" _Double shit."_

Rei smiled down at him. "Don't worry Naruto. We'll take you home. It's not as if we're doing anything later... right Saeko?"

Saeko nodded distractedly, her eyes having fallen down to his chiseled chest again. If one were to look closely… they might have seen the drop of red just under her nose. Naruto however wasn't looking at her.

" _Damn... shit… fuck... Can't let them in my apartment. They'd never leave. How much worse can this get?! Aw..I just freaking jinxed myself. I know it."_

Rei smiled. "Maybe we could even come over to help out. If your parents don't mind that is."

Saeko snapped out of her trance as she saw something flash across Naruto's face. Something dark and hurt, something buried deep. Had it been in response to Rei's comment about coming over or his parents? She decided not to ask in front of the others.

Naruto shook his head. "That's not a problem. I don't live with my parents."

Shizuka again looked puzzeled. "Then who do you live with?"

Naruto hesitated then admitted, "No one right now. And no, I'm not interested in hearing about how I should have a legal guardian caring for me. I can take care of myself."

Slightly stung Shizuka leaned away from him. Rei also took a step back. For a second there she'd felt really uneasy. Like Naruto was reprimanding her or telling her to mind her own business. She watched as Naruto attempted to get out of bed. The blood drained from his face again and he quickly laid back down. Worry flashed into her mind and she asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes. He whispered, "I just... need to rest a bit. I'll be up... before you know it."

Then Naruto was out again like a light.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

After he fainted Shizuka went through the school records and found where Naruto was registered to live. It was an apartment not too far from where she was house-sitting for her friend Rika. So after school was over she helped Saeko and Rei put Naruto in the back seat of her car. Then she drove them to his apartment.

They were in the car now. Naruto was still out. He'd been out for a while this time. Saeko wondered what was wrong with him. He was strong and fit. Naruto's many scars might suggest that he had some king of internal injury that hadn't healed. There really wasn't any way to tell.

When they arrived a Naruto's apartment they found that it was actually an eight story building. It was also lavish. There was even a guard at the lobby door. Saeko and Rei carried Naruto with them as Shizuka talked to the guard.

The guard was a very imposing black man wearing a pristine dark blue suit. It turned out that he wasn't nearly as intimidating as he looked. He greeted them warmly as they approached.

"Good evening ladies. I see you have brought our resident home from... wherever he happened to disappear to this time. I hope he wasn't hurt."

Shizuka tilted her head to the man. "He was actually at school, but he had a medical problem. He said he had some kind of condition but it isn't on his school record. We thought we'd take him home and check to see if he had any mediation that he might have forgotten to take."

The guard smiled. "Well that's very considerate of you. May I help carry him. I can't imagine it was easy moving him around."

Saeko shrugged. "We managed but I appreciate the help."

"You welcome, though I think it would be safe to say young master Naruto should be able to take care of himself. In the nine months since he moved in I have never seen anyone with him. This is the first time he's ever had a noteworthy incident."

Rei looked surprised. "Young master Naruto?"

The man chuckled. It sounded like someone beating a large drum. "Well he refused every other honorific I gave him. When I called him that he just gave me a funny look and went in. Since then I've been referring to him as that. I suppose it seems strange to you. But I am a professional. I used to work at a prestigious resort in Britain. I was often taken to task for not calling guests that."

He chuckled again as he took Naruto from them. "My name is Francis by the way. This way ladies."

Shizuka followed the guard in, finally realizing just how expensive this place must be to have a professional valet/guard at the entrance. It wasn't even a hotel.

The two younger girls did so as well. Rei wondered out loud, "What does his room look like I wonder?"

Francis let out a bark of laughter. He walked across the lobby to the elevator. He pressed the button and the doors slid open. He stepped inside. The moved inside as well.

Rei raised her eyebrow at Francis. "What's so funny?"

Francis chuckled humorously. "Dear... You said room as in the singular. You obviously don't know much about your blond friend now do you?"

Rei admitted that she didn't. Saeko shrugged. "He doesn't share much."

The large man smirked and pushed the button to close the doors and ascend. Rei and Saeko watched at the indicator turned from a 1 to a three, then a 5, then a 7. It finally stopped there. Rei let out a long breath. "I half expected him to live on the top floor. But I guess he's not that much of a big shot."

Francis's smirk became a full blown grin. "You have remarkable intuition. He does live on the top floor. The penthouse suit to be exact. But young master Naruto here actually is renting the top two floors. Don't ask me how. It isn't my job to pry."

Shizuka gasped as the door opened and the guard led them into a hallway. He went straight to the end and pulled out a card, which he then passed over a scanner by the door handle. They watched as the door cracked open with a beep. The guard stepped to the side and gently reinstalled Naruto into their arms. "If you need me, just call. I'll be in the lobby."

Shizuka nodded dumbly as Francis departed.

They entered the main room of the apartment and were immediately seized by a notion. Naruto had some bat-shit crazy secrets going on. He had every single kind of ramen they had ever seen or imagined, and quite a few they hadn't. They were lined up against one wall. Rei whistled in wonder. It was truly a wonder to see.

After that they tried to ignore the ramen wall and moved through the room. It seemed normal enough besides that. Although there were a few oddities besides that. Namely a headband with an engraved steel plate, which rested on a small table. Next to it was...

All three of them stopped. Rei and Saeko dropped Naruto with a thump. Saeko hurriedly picked him up again, levering him over her shoulder as Rei and Shizuka walked over. Cash... Lots of cash. As in a completely ridiculous amount of cash. Enough money was stacked on the table to pay for a decent house. There were seven sacks of hundreds. Each one over a foot high. Rei ran her fingers lightly over the stack of money. Then her eyes caught a list next to it. She picked it up and read out loud.

 _"Getting tired of all this job stuff. Can't get a "job" or find "work" anywhere. Must find easier ways to make money. Have to waste less time."_

Below that appeared to be a list of times and places. Saeko walked over and blinked in surprise. "I recognize some of those places. That one right there is a popular hangout for martial arts fanatics. It's known for its illegal gambling since its popular with the Japanese underworld organizations."

Rei was curious where Saeko had heard about that. "How do you know about that?"

Saeko explained, "My dad used to fight there for cash when he wasn't training for tournaments around the world. It was before I was born, but he told me about it... mainly to stay away from it."

Rei asked, "So what are these times and dates for?"

"Probably for the matches. With the way Naruto is... maybe he makes money by fighting in arena matches? It would kind of fit with all the scars he has."

Shizuka let out an un-teacher-like squeak as Naruto let out a groan. "Um... he's waking up again!"

They hurried back to where Naruto's eyes had opened. He still seemed tired. He mumbled, "Sakura... Kakashi be quiet... I'll be up in a sec..."

His eyes closed again.

The three girls exchanged glances. Rei looked around the room as if searching for an answer that simply wasn't there "I don't know about you two, but I've never heard of Sakura or Kakashi. Could they be friends of his?"

None of them knew but it was another then minutes before Naruto raised his head and looked up at them. He grimaced. "Urg... Where am I?"

Rei gestured to the room around them. "We took you to your apartment but we're stuck on the second to top floor I think. The guard didn't take us to the last floor."

Naruto forced himself to sit up, taking in the room around him as he did so. "The elevator normally would go all the way to the top floor, but I paid Francis not to let anyone go directly to the top floor. You have to use the personal VIP elevator in the back of this room. I have the key somewhere."

Saeko offered, "Tell us where you left it and we'll take you to the top floor and you can rest."

Naruto shook his head pointedly. "No good. Top floor is off limits for a reason and no I'm not telling you what it is. Thank you for helping but I can handle myself from now on. Just help me up and you can go." This shocked them enough for Shizuka to be speechless. Saeko didn't know what she could say to that. He didn't want them on the top floor for some reason. Rei however had plenty to say.

"Naruto! Don't give me that! You can barely stand right now. Are we supposed to just hand you the pass to this place and leave like nothing happened. Then I suppose you come to school tomorrow and pretend like none of this happened. For that matter how about this fake mask you're always wearing at school! Why the hell do you go around acting like some rich punk?! Why do you avoid everyone? Why do you have scars all over your body? Why do you have a hundred thousand in cash on your coffee table?!"

She took a deep breath and shouted, "WHY THE HELL IS THE DAMN TOP FLOOR OFF LIMITS?!"

Naruto blinked up at her. He looked like he'd just been slapped, but his expression quickly changed to anger. "And why should I tell you? Tell me why you even care! All I'm trying to do is get by without everyone following me around trying to eavesdrop on everything I do!"

He growled, "WHY can't I get a little PRIVACY!?"

Rei took a step back. His anger was covering thinly veiled desperation. She thought, _"I just wanted answers. I didn't mean to upset him..."_

Saeko spoke bluntly. "Are you doing something illegal? Is that why we can't go to the top floor?"

"I don't do stuff that's against the law. I thought I told you that I like my privacy. If I go breaking the rules then people will start snooping around."

Shizuka was sufficiently recovered to ask her own question. "Well, if it's not illegally made, then how do you get all that money?"

Naruto grumbled. "It's prize money. I do fights all over in my free time."

"But that's illegal for minors." Shizuka seemed worried. "And it looks like you get horrible scars from it. The one over your heart... I've never seen one that bad on a teen. Actually I've never seen anyone with that big a scar before. Is that from fighting in...?

"No." He sighed. "I almost never get hurt in arena fights. And yeah I broke that rule, but I'm not good at normal jobs." Naruto didn't know if they would buy his story. The fact was he had a scam for making a ton of money fast. He would enter a competition while his appearance was altered. Then he'd have one or two clones in the audience making bets on him. Usually he took the form of a particularly scrawny man he'd seen in the Leaf village. It worked wonders. And he always used a false name so it was like he just disappeared each time.

Saeko and Rei shared a look. Shizuka said, "I guess its fine as long as you're not getting hurt. The other students would have noticed if you were injured. But it's strange. You have excellent grades. Why can't you get a job?"

That caused Naruto to pause. "It's...uh...complicated. Do you have to ask why?"

Rei looked away from his hangdog eyes. "I guess not...but can I ask you to do something?"

He warily said, "Okay... Fine ask away."

She looked back at him sharply. "Will you stop acting weird at school! Can you be yourself at least? I can't stand it, knowing that you're pretending all the time!"

"Why does it even bother you?"

Rei's mouth snapped shut. She realized that he either was pretending that he didn't know she liked him. Or he was clueless that she liked him. Either way... this wasn't the place to tell him she had a crush on him, especially with Saeko and Shizuka there. _"Damn...I bet he is clueless. It would explain why he treated me the same even after I got him into kendo club."_ She decided to go for lightness. "Well, you're my fellow student after all. I get worried... that's all."

He blinked as if this had never occurred to him. "Oh... I um… sorry about that. I suppose I can start acting normal if it really bothers you."

Rei smiled as if she had won something. And as far as she was concerned she had won something. Naruto had agreed to act more normal. _"I'll have to see if he keeps his word tomorrow."_

Naruto glanced back at Shizuka. "I'm _okay_ now. You three can go now."

Saeko stooped by him and pulled a small pen from her pocket. She took his hand and wrote her number. "If you need help or anything call. That's my cell, but I don't keep it on at school."

"Um... thanks.."

Everything moved fast after that. Saeko stood and spoke briefly with Rei and Shizuka. Then the three girls left. It was only a few moments after that and he was sitting alone in his apartment. He felt tired still. He needed sleep, but he needed chakra more. At the moment he was running on empty. Fumes so to speak. If he had to do anything strenuous at this point... he'd be doing it on his own. Not that he wasn't much stronger than the average person without chakra.

" _I need to go into sage mode and then go to sleep. Then...tomorrow I can figure out how to play it when I go back to school. Rei seems to have some interest in me besides what she said. Saeko wants to be my friend... and I think she has a crush on me. That time she tried to kiss me made that obvious. Shizuka is a nurse so she is going to be concerned about my health anyway. I guess the question I need to ask, is how much attention am I going to draw acting normal? Do I even remember how to act normal at school? It will almost be like acting in the other direction."_

He sighed and stood up. It was a surprise that the girls had let things go. But then again they would probably grill him for answers the next morning at school. He wasn't looking forward to that possibility. In all likelihood he'd be forced to tell a bunch of lies so cover the truth.

" _I know I almost gave myself away back in the nurses office when Saeko asked about parents. I hope she didn't catch anything."_

Naruto stood up and moved to where his headband was on the table. He bent to pick it up. Turning it over he took the keys that were fastened there.

The personal elevator at the back opened silently and he stepped in. He pressed the button to go up.

The door closed and opened after a brief moment. Naruto walked out and into his personal stronghold. Every inch of the top floor had been devoted to one training type or another. And a large circle in the center was dedicated to his attempts to get home. That area was scorched and scarred as though raked by red hot claws.

Naruto avoided that part, instead heading towards the medium sized bed on the far side of the room. Navigating the obstacle course of equipment, Shuriken, kunai, ninja wire. Several weapons he had acquired in this world and even a few firearms. The floor was littered with storage scrolls, his less than effective attempts to create chakra seals.

Once he was at the foot of the bed he pulled off his clothes and dropped onto the one clear spot in the room. He rolled on his back and looked up at the ceiling. He prayed that nothing would happen on the following day. He just wanted to be left alone so he could work on a way home.

" _But it feels good to have someone worry about me. I wish I could count them as friends. It's just... I can't lose myself to this place. It isn't my home. It is NOT where I will live for the rest of my life."_ He closed his eyes. Never mind going into sage mode... He was too tired.

 _ **"Don't be a fool. You'll be wiped tomorrow if you don't gather chakra."**_

Naruto ignored the fox and let his breathing slow. His body felt weighed down. It would be so nice to just... rest...

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **So there is chapter 1. Hope you like it. Please remember to review and I'll try to get back to those who ask questions... (If I feel like answering them) Kyoto out...**


	3. 2 Intermediary of the Dead

**(Updated 6/14/18)**

 **Ok so here is chapter 2. Phew... Sometimes I really hate living in the country. My grandpa bought a brand new laptop. And of course we have limited internet speed. And he spends ALL DAY on the internet. By the time I finish working and log in I can barely open up this. So anyway, I said I'd answer a few questions last time. so here you go.**

 **Q 1. Naruto's lack of chakra? = Now this by far has had the greatest negative response from readers. Most people either have a hard time believing that it's possible or seem ticked off that I'm trying to make Naruto less powerful.**

 **My answer is simple. Exactly how exciting is it to have Naruto do yellow flash though every single zombie he comes across? And what happens when he comes across a hoard? He just lobs a Rasenshuriken at it . Goodbye hoard. It would just be a cake walk. It wouldn't really be survival. Naruto is going to be cutting through zombies like Swiss cheese anyway.**

 **So with that in mind, the remaining part of that question is how. My basis would normally be explained throughout the story, but seeing how I explain a good bit of it in this chapter I'll just have a more complete explanation down at the bottom.**

 **I detailed a few scars. These were** _ **pretty**_ **specific. The six bullet like scars spaced evenly over his body and the ones on his hands were where Pain stabbed him through with the chakra rods. They didn't heal. The scar over his heart? That should be pretty bloody obvious. The little micro thin scars over his hands and arms are from his training to use the Rasenshuriken. (even Tsunade said they wouldn't heal and that's canon) As for the spiral on his chest...well that comes later.**

 **The last question was about the strange POVs. I was simply attempting to set the other characters views of Naruto beforehand. It also made Naruto more mysterious and allowed me to pull off the whole Sasuke attitude thing.**

 **Now onto the story**

 **(I don't own any part of Naruto or Highschool of the dead)**

 _ **Chapter 2**_

 _Intermediary of the Dead_

The next day Rei and Saeko stood together at the entrance to school. They had arrived early by unspoken consent to make sure they caught Naruto. After they left his apartment the night before Shizuka had promised to look into Naruto's records. She instructed the two of them to keep a close eye on him.

So here they both stood. A few other early students cast curious glances at them as they passed by, probably wondering what the two of them were waiting for. Eventually Rei grew tired and sat down. Saeko joined her without speaking.

They waited for ten minutes. But Naruto never showed. Twenty minutes passed and Rei started fidgeting. At last they both heard the school's first bell. Saeko stood up, her eyes at once worried and disappointed. "He didn't show. Let's go in."

Rei scowled at the metal gate to the school. The fact that Naruto hadn't shown up meant several things, but it spoke to one thing above all others. He had lied... He hadn't kept his word. A sympathetic part of her told her that she was being unreasonable. Naruto had been exhausted. He couldn't help coming in late. However the less than considerate part of her decided she didn't care. Naruto obviously couldn't be trusted to come on his own. _"He needs more encouragement."_ Rei looked to Saeko as they turned to enter the main building. "We should stop by his apartment later to see what happened."

Saeko nodded quickly and her expression changed. Rei thought, _"She's putting on her mask too. Maybe I should ask her why Naruto is so secretive? She might understand why he pretends to be something he isn't."_

 **Ooo**

 **-** _later that day-_

 **Ooo**

Francis watched as two girls... ones he recognized, walked up to him. Both looked rather serious...and worried. Rei was the first to speak. "Excuse me, but could you tell us if Naruto is alright? He didn't come to school today."

Francis sighed. He didn't want to make the girls feel bad. He was tempted to tell them they could just go up, but Naruto had expressly told him not to give out any information on him unless it was demanded by local authorities. Then again, Naruto had also said he would be packed to leave by the end of the day and would be checking out. _"I don't suppose there is any harm in telling his friends that much."_

"Young Master Naruto is packing to leave. He should be gone by the end of the day."

Rei's eyes popped open wide and her jaw dropped. Saeko blinked in shock. Rei took a step back. "He wouldn't up and leave just because we came over yesterday would he?"

Saeko didn't comment. She just stepped past the guard and opened the door. Rei quickly followed her. Francis put his hand to his forehead. Naruto would probably give him an earful for the intrusion. He hoped that his young tenant wasn't too displeased.

 **ooo**

Naruto sighed as he at last sealed the remainder of his gear away. His entire body ached as he straightened. Not gathering chakra the night before had been a very bad idea.

Kurama sounded irate as he went about the rest of his packing. **"You IDIOT! What part of "Your chakra network is fried" do you not understand!?"**

 _"Sorry okay! You're not even the one who's feeling it the worst. I replenished my chakra all morning so don't give me a hassle."_

 **"Oh... and just because you didn't wake up in the afterlife today you think everything is peachy? I have explained this to you before, but you ignore it at the worst possible times. Whether you're tired or not, you can't afford not to go into Sage most before bed. You could have EASILY died last night!"**

 _"Okay! OKAY!, I get it, Will you stop screaming in my ear?!"_

 **"First of all, I'm in your head, and that's half the problem. If you die, I die. And second, NO, I feel the need to explain your situation just once more to you! So sit back and relax kit, since I intend to make sure it sinks in this time!"**

 _"Fine let's get it over with then."_ Naruto sat down hard and closed his eyes.

 **"Good, now make sure you're listening."**

Kurama growled and started. **"If you remember the human body is born with a natural store of chakra. In accordance with you mental and physical energies, more chakra is produced and released. HOWEVER, your chakra network is utterly** _ **destroyed.**_ **You can't conjure up more than a scrap of chakra on your own. And if we were back home, it wouldn't even be a problem. I have more than enough chakra for the both of us."**

 **"The problem with this world is that for some reason...you need a much greater amount of chakra to sustain yourself. Normally you need only a tiny fraction of power to keep your inner spark going, but here...you need approximately a fourth of my chakra...daily...just to keep healthy! That is a HUGE strain on my reserves.**

Kurama sounded exasperated. **"And in addition to this... the natural energy of this world... It's rancid, like meat left out in the sun for days. It's tainted. Even the bloodiest battlefield back home is pure in comparison to this city. Unlike you, I depend on natural energy to recover, but I am constantly forced to burn it clean as it enters me. The result is simple. I can only replenish chakra so fast. And you have the exact same problem. Combine that with the fact that we need so much energy to survive... I couldn't wake you last night. I was barely able to keep the chakra circulating inside you. It scared the living crap out of me! Do you understand that?!"**

 _"You don't have to remind me that I lost my ability to draw on chakra ya know. I remember that every time I try to do anything at all."_ Naruto opened his eyes. It was possibly the worst thing to happen to him in recent memory. The day he was thrust into this world by that damned Akatsuki bastard with the mask. _"I'm glad I cut that bastard's eye out. Teach him to strand people like this."_

 **"I wouldn't care so much about that Naruto. It's that ass of an Uchiha that you should be cursing. He's the one who almost killed you and blasted your chakra network into nothing."**

 _"I know... Oh shit!"_

 **"WHAT?!"**

 _"Someone is here. DAMN!"_

Naruto cut his link with Kurama as a second knock sounded by the door.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Rei knocked...then knocked harder. There was no answer for a minute. Then she kicked the door hard. Both girls heard a long string of cursing from inside. Saeko grimaced. "He doesn't sound happy. Does he know it's us?" Rei shrugged as the torrent of foul language got closer. At last there were several grinding noises and a click. The door swung open just a crack. Naruto peeked out and saw them.

"Shit."

Rei raised her eyebrow. "Not happy to see us huh?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I thought I told you two that I wanted privacy? I know privacy isn't a traditional Japanese word, but I'm sure you understood what I said." He moved to shut the door saying, "I'll see you two another time."

Saeko put her hand in the doorway and he halted to avoid crushing her fingers. "Naruto, we want to come in. Would it be okay for us to come in?"

He stared at her, his expression telling Saeko all she needed to know about Naruto's feelings on the matter. "How about no...? Is that simple enough?"

Saeko shook her head and inserted herself more fully into the door jam. Naruto growled in the back of his throat. It was an animal noise, one which bespoke irritation. Saeko was unaffected by this and proceeded to force her way into the room. Naruto put a hand on her shoulder. His voice was even but it was almost dripping impatience. "What part of no, don't you understand? I didn't want you in here last night and I'm moving. Is that clear enough to you?"

Saeko shook her head and squeezed further in. Naruto's eye twitched as she levered the door further open with her hip. A silent struggle ensued in which Saeko pushed further and further in and Naruto tried not to hurt her, while at the same time, trying to keep her out. Eventually he realized that he would either have to hurt them or let them in.

 **"Knock them out and take them home. You have enough chakra now. They are just going to insert themselves more fully into your life if you don't stop this now. You know how humans here are. They care far too much about the private business of other people."**

 _"Unfortunately, I can't do that! If I even hurt them little bit it can be considered assault and I can get in trouble with the police. If that happens then I'll have to go on the run or find some place to hide. All of that takes time and money and I hate wasting either!"_

He tried one last time to shove Saeko out, but just as he opened the door a crack further, Rei's weight hit it and the door flew out of his grasp. Naruto realized what was going to happen a split second before it did, but he was in a bad position to stop it.

All of Saeko's weight fell on him as she lost her own grip on the door. Naruto's foot wasn't behind him so he fell backwards. They both landed sprawling on the floor as the door banged open and Rei stumbled into the room. She found her balance and looked up… then around the room, amazed by the change. The ramen was gone. The entire room was bare. Not a single thing remained that had been there the day before. She glanced to the far side of the room. The table was still there, but everything on it had vanished.

Rei heard a groan off to the side and looked. Naruto had landed hard with Saeko on top of him. The dark haired girl was pulling back, apologizing. "Sorry about that Naruto. I didn't mean to knee you there."

Naruto sat up as she withdrew. His face was a bit pale and he was holding his crotch protectively. "Ow...yeah I'll have to remember that you don't mind fighting dirty either..."

She flushed pink with embarrassment. "I really didn't mean to do that. It was an accident."

He muttered under his breath, "Why do you smell like you enjoyed it then..."

"Huh? What did you just say?"

Naruto's eyes widened as if he just realized what he'd said. "N..nevermind. You two are in here now... What is it you want so badly?" He glanced away from them. He knew why they were here. Both girls somehow felt that they had some responsibility for him or felt some need to be close to him. And when he hadn't shown up at school, despite the fact he had said he would they'd decided to check on him. He should have paid Francis to discourage people instead of just not disclosing info.

He looked at Rei who was still gazing around the room in surprise. Saeko wasn't looking at the room. She was staring at him curiously. "Naruto? What exactly did you mean by that? You couldn't possibly smell how I was feeling... That was a joke right?"

Naruto almost cursed out loud. _"Shit, stupid nose getting me in trouble. I wish this world had dulled my senses sometimes."_

 **"It's not your nose that gets you in trouble. It's that damned mouth of yours. Cover your ass before they really get curious!"**

Taking Kurama's advice he said, "Yeah...it was just a joke...haha..."

It sounded lame. Naruto regretted his lack of a talent for coming up with excuses or lying. Sometimes everything just flowed off his tongue like liquid mercury. And others he sounded lamer than a certain bushy browed ninja. By the look on Saeko's face... she wasn't buying it.

 _"It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't smell so nice."_

 **"Don't get distracted. Plenty of girls are like that. Have you ever told me a girl smelled bad?... No. Now pull it together."**

Saeko's mind churned for answers. She was just so...curious. She wanted to solve all these little mysteries. But first things first. She needed to find out why he was leaving and stop it. Taking advantage of the current situation she leaned forward to interrogate him. "Tell us why you are leaving. It can't just be because of us visiting, can it?"

Rei finished looking around and rejoined the conversation. "Hey! That's right, we come over and the next day you try to disappear? What's up with that?" She placed her hands on her hips and glared down at him.

Naruto felt a strong urge to smack himself upside the head for his own stupidity. _"I would so take Sakura over this right now. At least I would know what she was thinking."_ He scratched the back of his head, wondering if there was anything he could say to get them of his back. "Well it's just that I couldn't have you two around is all..."

Rei laughed, but it wasn't a good laugh in his opinion. "Okay...okay... I call bullshit right now. You don't just move because a couple girls from your school come over. I don't care how much you care about your god damn privacy. That has nothing to do with it. Now spit it out! What are you up to?!"

 _"I hate my life right now."_

 **"Stop complaining and give control over to me."**

 _"Hell no! If I do that my voice is going to sound like I'm imitating some horror movie villain. You can't pass off as me whenever you feel like it."_ Kurama was about to give him a mental smack when Naruto heard a crash from upstairs. He inwardly groaned. _"I knew I didn't put enough chakra into that seal. Now I'm screwed._

Saeko's head snapped to the elevator at the back of the room. "What was that?"

Naruto sighed and forced himself to his feet, "A ton of stuff that I was packing just fell over I bet."

Rei jumped in. "We could help you unpack!"

Saeko stood, still looking at him puzzled.

Naruto threw his hands into the air. "Okay...! You got me. I've got three thousand pounds of crack upstairs that I don't want you to see! Satisfied? Good, now leave already! I'm evil and an ass. You probably don't want to get involved with me so you should just go!"

Both girls were giving him a blatantly angry look now. Rei pointed at him accusingly. "Don't just try to get rid of us Naruto. We're staying until you tell us what is going on. Right Saeko?"

Saeko nodded once. Naruto raised his eyes to the ceiling. _"Even Lord Third couldn't have had the patience deal with this!"_

Kurama's reply was rather sarcastic. **"He would never let himself get put in this situation. Now listen. We need a solid story that doesn't require justification, or them to go upstairs and verify. Just give me a moment to think. I'll figure out something."**

Naruto stalled for time. "Listen, I'm not supposed to tell anyone about why I'm here. You two are getting in the way. And I had to leave."

 **"Good, keep it coming."**

"Now, I will finish packing and then I'll be gone. There isn't anything I can do about it. And there certainly isn't anything you can do. It's not my choice! Really, I'd stay if I could!"

 **"Nice one, real gentlemanly. You sound just like a player now."**

 _"Shut up fox."_

Naruto smiled regretfully. "I'm sorry, but you can't stay here..."

 **"Maybe I won't have to come up with a story. You're on a roll."**

Saeko frowned, her dark eyebrows coming together in a sharp V. "Then why don't you have someone else here with you? If this is so important...for whatever reason, there should be guards."

The other girl nodded. "Yeah and since you get all A's at school you must study a lot, so you wouldn't have time to do much else. And why this place, Huh? If this weird business you were doing was so secret why choose the fancy apartment? It seems to me like this is made up."

 **"Shit!"** _"Shit!"_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto attempted several times to get them out the door. He tried threats, bribes, and just about everything he or the fox could think up. Nothing worked. They just refused to leave. Naruto was beginning to think that he would have to use a sealing jutsu to prevent them from coming close to him. He was a fair hand with curse seals, but he didn't want to use so much chakra.

 **"I could make this easy if you would let me take control. I know more jutsu than any shinobi alive, but I need to form the handsigns to use them."**

 _"No means no. At least you understand that. The last time I let you take over I almost couldn't get control back from you."_

 **"Well? Then what the hell do we do? I'm fresh out of ideas. These two are the most determined nuisances I've ever encountered and they don't even have chakra!"**

 _"If only we were back home! But I can't reveal my strength or powers here!"_ Naruto turned away from Rei and Saeko. He was to the point where he wanted to tear out his hair. They were just so... persistent. _"I don't want to hurt them. I can't show them my powers but at the same time I can't let them go upstairs."_

He walked over to the table, closely followed by the two girls. Naruto dropped down onto the low table and turned to look up at them. He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. _"J_ _eeze, I feel like Granny Tsunade right now."_ Naruto took a deep breath and said, "I'm not letting you upstairs and I'm not telling you what's going on. So...besides that, what exactly do I have to do to get you two out of here?"

Rei said, "For starters, you can promise that you won't leave. And after that you can come to school tomorrow. Alright?"

"Anything else?"

Saeko nodded, "You don't have to change the way you're acting, but you can at least sit with everyone else from Kendo club."

Naruto thought, _"These two are going to be the death of me."_ "Fine, but you just want me to sit next to you. Isn't that pretty much it?" She blinked and her cheeks darkened almost imperceptibly. Naruto knew he'd hit that nail on the head. He turned to Rei. "And you just want me to stay at school so you can be around me all the time. And that's probably why so asked me to join Kendo club. You were hoping that I'd open up to you after a while."

Rei looked away hurriedly. "No, I just thought you'd do good there. And I was right. It doesn't have anything to do with how I feel."

 **"Well, we both know that was a lie."** Kurama sounded amused. **"If we were back at the village this would be unprecedented. The only girl who crushes on you there is the Hyuuga."**

 _"Huh!? Why would you bring that up now?!"_

 **"Oops. Pardon me, were you unaware of that?"**

 _"Fuck! She told me how she felt, but it doesn't exactly help me right now to overgrown orange dirt clod!"_

Kurama chuckled darkly, **"The worst part is she's probably crying her eyes out over you right about now"**

Saeko saw Naruto stiffen and his jaw clamped shut. He closed his eyes and she could almost see the veins bulging in his forehead.

 _"You're digging your grave fox. Just keep talking. I'm not sure what would happen if I stole your chakra here, but if you keep pissing me off we're going to find out."_

 **"Fine. I'll be quiet. I leave this problem to your questionable powers of persuasion. I bid you good day!"**

With that Kurama severed the connection between them. Naruto felt him withdrawing deep into his mind. He also became aware that Rei was talking again. It was so similar to listening to Sakura, he automatically tunes most of what she said. Taking a page out of Kakashi's book he smiled at Rei. "Don't worry okay. I'll come to school. I'll even sit with you, but you two have to stop peeking into my personal business." _"Now I feel like Sai...great..."_

Rei halted mid flow. She crossed her arms. "One more thing. I want you to take art class."

"WHAT!? I'm a horrible artist!" Naruto experienced a minor heart attack. He could cope with everything else as long as he didn't have to worry about Rei and Saeko snooping, but art class. He couldn't draw to save his life... or anyone else's for that matter.

Rei smiled. "That's alright, I'll help you."

Naruto groaned. "Oh...a trick...I see. You thought I might be bad at art didn't you?"

"I figured that you weren't an art type. Yeah...but even if you were I would just have said that it wouldn't be an imposition. Either way you have to come to art class if you want me to give up on knowing what's upstairs. And...it would be really nice if you sat next to me too at lunch..."

"This is extortion."

Rei raised her eyebrow. "I don't see why you're complaining."

Naruto groaned. "Okay, let me put it this way. Everyone seems to what to know _all_ about me. And if I suddenly come to school one day after skipping...and have you hanging off me... Not to mention suddenly taking art as a new subject. The only thing that is going to happen is everyone else trying to bug the crap out of me. All the guys at school already hate me, especially that one teacher. Regardless, I'm already going to get shit from everyone since yesterday is the first day I missed."

Rei shrugged and stepped back. She turned to Saeko, "That's all from me. Is there anything you wanted to add?"

Saeko shook her head slowly.

Naruto thought it was too good to be true, "So both of you will leave now?"

Rei tilted her head, "Yeah, we're going. See you tomorrow at school then."

Naruto nodded and...finally...at last...they left.

 **Ooo**

 _ **-Next day. School-**_

 **Ooo**

Several students were gathered around a student in the art class. The crowd consisted mostly of girls, but there were a few jealous boys there as well. What were they staring at? They were gaping, some open mouthed, at a painting as it slowly took shape.

Naruto worked hard over the course of twenty minutes to sketch out a scene from memory. It was an important one. An image that he had burned into his mind. Rei who sat on a stool next to him was awestruck.

She gasped out, "You said you were a terrible artist! This...this is amazing!"

Naruto frowned inwardly. _"_ _No, this isn't from my imagination... wish it was though. It's different for things that actually happened. I remember every detail of this."_

On the large canvas was an image frozen in time. A boy with black hair and blazing red eyes. In his left hand he clutched a blade of lightning. The light from the glowing edge cast his eyes in deep shadow. The wings that swept back from him and the mark of his cursed chakra was clear on him. Behind him was a waterfall. Naruto tried his best to replicate the colors and feel of the surroundings. The stone figure behind him with its massive arm bridging the top of the blue wall.

One of the boys behind him whistled. "Damn... that's wicked. I never saw anyone paint anything that realistic before. It's...like he could jump out of the picture and stab you..."

Naruto tried to hide his smirk. _"Kinda figures that at one point he actually did stab me. And this is the moment right before he did."_ The irony didn't escape him. He was painting scenes from his real life that anyone here would immediately pass off as fake. Naruto imagined what they would say if he transformed into Sasuke one day to come in. _"Oh...I could totally prank the living hell out of everyone here. If I had a clone disguised as someone I painted... It would be like... Hey guys, this is my friend Sasuke. Yeah, he's the one I was painting the other day. His eyes are really weird aren't they... Hehe. Almost makes me want to blow my cover a bit.'_

Naruto's lips twitched as the art teacher walked over to see what everyone was gaping at. _"Imagine if... oh wait, I could draw my sexy jutsu... I know that like the back of my hand. Come to think of it, I could do just about anyone from the village."_

 **"Aren't you getting just a bit carried away? I thought you** _ **weren't**_ **trying to draw attention to yourself... This is only making people more curious about you!"**

 _"Nah...this is too fun. The look on Rei's face is priceless."_

 **"Be careful...baka."**

 _"Hey!?"_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Saya Takagi watched Naruto Uzumaki and Rei Miyamoto at lunch. It was interesting to watch them. Naruto seemed to be pretending to be more social than usual. She didn't know why he bothered. He had perfect grades so far.

" _It's strange… since yesterday he missed school for the first time. He's never done that before. And he practically ignored the teacher when he asked why. I guess he wasn't feeling well. But that doesn't explain why he's sitting next to her... or why he's suddenly taking art either. Maybe she got through that shell of his. Who would have known that was possible?"_

Saya had assumed that Naruto was like her. A rich kid from a wealthy family who was sent to school, practically alone. He acted like the type. In fact, he behaved a lot like her, which made her reevaluate the way she looked. Most boys assumed he was a stuck up arrogant ass. On the flip side, most girls would have happily dated him. She wondered if the reverse was true for her. She didn't get along with the other female students, but guys were always asking her out...

Suddenly there was a voice right next to her ear. "Saya-chan, are you gonna eat or are you going to keep _staring_ at him?"

She flicked her head to the side. Annoyance at once filled her. _"What the hell does she want?"_ It was aptly named, Kimi-the slut-mura. Kimimura for short. She was a tall girl, with long dark hair, which had dyed red highlights. She was also... as her name suggested... a slut. At least she acted that way 24/7. _"She isn't even that attractive. She just is an attention suck. Why is she here?"_

Kimimura sat down next to her... a bit too close for Saya's liking. "What do you want? I'm busy."

The other girl raised an eyebrow and smiled wide, showing off perfect teeth. "Actually, I wanted to make use of your analytical skills. Would you mind showing off a bit?"

Saya eye-ticked. "You have an A in math. You don't need my help. Go sit somewhere else and eat. I'm not interested in talking. If you need your Naruto questions answered, go talk to someone who knows."

Kimimura sighed. She sounded plaintive. "Aw... but I already asked Rei-chan _and_ Saeko-sempai. Naruto won't even talk to me... Come on, let me in. I want to know what happened with him!"

" _This girl is getting on my nerves. Can't I eat in peace?"_ "No. Go _AWAY._ "

"Fine... I'll find out on my own."

Saya let out a silent breath as her harasser left. _"Do I have a sign on my forehead that says fuck with me today? I hope not, cause someone's going to get it."_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Lunch ended and the students went about their classes. Throughout the day, Saya kept one eye on her studies...and the other on Naruto or Rei. Both of them were much closer than usual, but Naruto's friendly behavior seemed forced.

As the bell rang at the end of the day Saya swung her bag over her shoulder and quickly left the class room. The hall way was empty as she made her way out of the school. Behind her the corridors filled with departing teens and their exasperated teachers.

Once outside Saya decided to stop by the bakery before heading home. She pulled out her cell phone. She usually didn't take it with her to school, but she'd forgotten to take it out of her bag that morning. Dialing her driver's number, she told him to pick her up at the local bakery.

Then she headed off. It wasn't long before she left the tide of students who had started to exit the main building. Then she was on her own, heading towards the down town bakery. It was only a dozen blocks so she didn't mind walking. In addition to that her father and mother would be in an important meeting until much later. The house would be empty save for the staff.

Her mind wandered as her feet took her in her desired direction.

Saya hadn't been more than ten minutes when she heard loud cursing from just to her right. Her head snapped around, popping loudly. There were two men in the alley she had been about to pass. A dirty man with a mohawk and a grimy white T-shirt with a skull on it. He had a wide belt...

" _Oh shit..."_

There was a large gun tucked in his waistband. There was also a smaller black teen. Saya didn't have even a moment to shout as she was grabbed and dragged into the alley. She heard the black kid talking to her attacker as she was pulled further in. She kicked and tried to twist around to bite him, but he smacked her. The force of the hit jarred her. Dazed she almost went limp as he hit her again.

"Hey...Jiro, man I'm not so sure about this girl. I mean, you got the thing right, if he comes again?"

The man holding her spat. "That's bull shit! Since when are be scared of some little shit! He caught us by surprise last time. Won't happen again. Now we got he lets take her inside already!"

The kid was rubbing the back of his head, obviously nervous, "Yeah, I get what yer sayin and all, but...we awful close to the place he nabbed us last time..."

Saya tried to let out a scream, but a filthy had slammed over her mouth. It stifled her breathing. She coughed and squirmed, trying to break loose... only to feel something cold press into her back.

"Now girl...I fuckin hate wiggle worms, so keep still, or I'll put one in ya. This fancy little piece I got here is silenced, a pop gun is louder than this baby. I could shoot you five times and nobody would hear a thing...!"

Saya went still. _"Ok...how do I get out of this? Do they just want to rob me or are they going to try and do more...Fuck...Shit!"_ She felt hands then, rifling over her, clearly searching for anything of value. Saya fought the urge to kick her attacker as his face came near her foot.

And then she heard a loud voice speak up from a little ways away."So... you guys are real suckers for punishment... huh?"

The hands searching her stopped, the black kid having gone rigid. Saya felt the gun leave her skin and point elsewhere. Jiro shouted, "NOW YOU STAY THE FUCK AWAY!"

Saya twisted her head...and... _"What the fuck...?!"_

Naruto was standing there in the alley, with arms still crossed. He had his uniform off... _"Why is his uniform off?"_ Naruto grinned at the two robbers, "Well...I could stay out of this one, but you see, we got a small problem. That girl there, actually she's a student who goes to my school. I can't just stand around and let you rob or rape her."

Saya felt a slight flutter but knew that Naruto couldn't do anything. The thug holding her was already pointing a gun at him.

Jiro grinned right back "Okay you little piece of shit. Let's have a little redo of out last scrape. I have a gun pointed at you fucking head. You aren't going to move as I bow it off. In exchange we let her go."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. "Fuck that! Now I know you're teasing me. You couldn't shoot the inside of a room if you were standing in it."

Jiro whistled. "Oh...man, you gonna die now for sure!"

Saya heard a click...and closed her eyes.

Movement, furious and brutal. A scream, but not hers. A clatter, followed by two loud pops. A second scream. A groan and a sickening snap.

Saya dropped back, her eyes flying open as two new arms caught her. She immediately smelled something savory. Some kind of cologne. She looked up. Naruto had just caught her. _"How..."_ Her mind refused to articulate her amazement better. Naruto smirked down at her then he was setting her on her feet.

Saya looked around and the tang of iron suddenly filled her senses. There was blood splattered over the alley wall. The gun was on the asphalt and it looked like both thugs were... dead. One, the guy with the mohawk, had two holes in his head so it was obvious. The black kid's neck was twisted at a gruesome angle. Saya put her hand over her nose as the scent of fresh blood became overwhelming. _"Oh god...he killed them..."_ Another thought entered her mind. _"He saved my ass just now..."_

She turned to look at Naruto who was pulling what looked like a long knife from the gun guy's chest. He wiped it off on the white shirt, smearing it with bright red. Then he tucked it up his sleeve. The movement was so easy...so practiced...so clean... It scared her. Then Naruto turned around and moved to the black kid. He bent down and removed a second knife.

She had a better look at the second one. It had a long handle with a loop and a blade that was like an elongated diamond. _"That's a kunai...but those are illegal in Japan..."_ Naruto repeated the process exactly, stowing it up his other sleeve.

Saya asked, "Naruto...sempai?"

He looked up at her and sighed. "I'm going to make a deal with you ok?"

She nodded.

Naruto straightened and walked over to her. "Two things and we're even. First, you don't go snooping into my business. Second... when we get back to school you forget any of this happened. I'll take care of these two."

Saya could hear herself agreeing even as she thought, " _Who are you...why are you here? And why did you just kill them?"_ But she didn't ask that. Instead she smiled weakly and turned. She walked right out of the alley as if it never even happened.

Down the street at the bakery Saya waited as her driver opened the door for her to get in. Her mind was running on a different track though. All she could think about was what had happened. It refused to leave her thoughts. The look of distaste on Naruto's face as he pulled the blade of his kunai from the corpses of those two men. The practiced ease of his movements. And...now that she remembered it. It had taken... less than three seconds for him to kill both of them and he did it without making so much as a sound or taking any damage. And how casual he was when he told her to forget about it. _"Like I could ever forget about that. I'll remember that to the day I die... Oh... How am I supposed to act normal at school with him."_

Her driver coughed quietly. "Is everything alright Takagi-sama?"

"She glanced up and nodded. "Yes...of course..." She stepped into the car and the door shut. _"I never thanked him...was that a mistake?"_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto dropped onto the bed in his room on the top floor. His mind was still running over the encounter with the two gang members. _"I haven't killed anyone in a while... It felt weird."_

Inside his mind, Kurama cracked an eye, **"How did it feel?"**

 _"I don't know. It's not something I enjoy...but..."_

 **"But?"**

 _"It felt...eh...satisfying, I guess."_

 **"Why do you think people murder? Your perspective greatly affects how you live. Killing is no different. You grew up in a place where killing is a very profitable profession. Not to mention common. Of course it will be different for you than someone else."**

 _"I still don't like it. I shouldn't enjoy it even a little. Even if they were bad people..."_

 **"A shinobi shouldn't doubt himself. That is not your way, or the way of the ninja. It was necessary. That was the third time you intervened and helped a fellow student since you started attending school there. Don't over think it."**

Naruto tried to explain how he felt better. _"Then why do I feel so uneasy. Like something terrible just happened? It's...disconcerting... Like someone died and you know it, but you couldn't possibly have been able to tell."_

 **"I don't know what to tell you Naruto."**

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes. _"I'm going to sleep early tonight. Wake me up later and I'll go into Sage mode."_

 **"Very well..."**

Kurama waited as Naruto fell into a light sleep. He shifted in his cage. Dark was all he could see and the dripping of water was all he could hear. Fear... That was what Naruto felt. And deep inside Kurama could feel it too. His own thoughts echoed through the cage causing ripples to spread to the corners of the vast room. _**"This world is dying... I can feel the rot at its core. Like there is a festering wound that eats at the fabric of reality. Fear, hate, greed. A thousand negative emotions swirl here like a whirlpool of thick red...blood. The shinobi of my world live in a state of constant war...and yet. This place...this supposedly peaceful world...is far darker than mine..."**_

Kurama closed his eyes and pulled his awareness inward. _**"How I long for my home..."**_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

 **So as for my explination for why Naruto's chakra isn't working.**

 **Naruto is stuck in a place where the very concept of true chakra is foreign. Everyone knows how chakra works in the Narutoverse. However Naruto's chakra is severely damaged just before he was thrown into the HOTD world. He can replenish his own chakra with natural energy from around him...just like Kurama does as a matter of course. However because Nature energy is heavily dependent of the balance of nature...things are different in the HOTD world. The massive sprawl of humanity has altered the very balance of earth's natural energy. In effect Naruto and Kurama are trying to draw clear water from a spring tainted with oil.**

 **This also lends its self to my plans for explaining the origin of the (well you can guess what I'm talking about and yes that's a bribe to keep you reading and reviewing...hehe)**

 **Remember to review!**


	4. 3 Vision of the dead

**(Updated 6/14/18)**

 **Hello everybody! I got my studying done early so I had a little time to do some writing this weekend! HAHAHA! Suck that college exams!**

 **Anyway, I have a lot of questions that people are asking me about this story, but I think I've answered some of these already.**

 **The big one seems to be centered around Naruto's lack of chakra. I'm getting tired of writing this explanation, so here it is ONE MORE TIME. Naruto is a freaking bad ass at the worst of times. He took out half of the six paths of pain in minutes when the whole village couldn't take on one. The HOTD world is comprised of characters that are near human combat level. Despite the fact that there is an abnormal level of martial prowess among the characters... My point is simple, it is lame when the main character is walking through the zombie apocalypse like it isn't even there. Naruto would be the God/hero and the whole fic would degenerate into some hero-worship story. I hate hero-worship stories. I want my main character to experience challenges of some kind. I want PROBLEMS.**

 **Some of you out there have flamed me for either the way I took Naruto's power down a level... while others are pissed simply because I did it at all.**

 **Well for all of you I have a message and it's an important one. If you are so obsessed over Naruto that you actually become bored reading a story just because a plot is similar to another you have read, then you need to close your lap-top or put down you I-pad and do something constructive,**

 **AND, for all of you who have taken the time to tell me how I suck, or that I fucked up my a story... I can safely say... go to hell. This is my story and if you don't have something constructive to say... don't say anything at all. AND FOR GODS SAKE! I don't need you to tell me that you've stopped following my story or that it's no longer a favorite.**

 **Oh... and one more thing for any of you (disliking) more than one of my fics because I change the way a character acts or the way a particular thing works... take a chill pill**

 **Now, on to the good stuff. Here is chapter 3 of this story. And remember, I'm still studying for exams. Do not expect regular updates!**

 _ **Chapter 3**_

 _Vision of the Dead_

Saeko woke with a start. Every part of her going rigid as she almost leapt out of her bed. Sweat covered her, soaking her white shift. _"What was that...dream?!"_

She swung her feet over the side of her bed and caught her breath. That dream was eerie and haunting.

Yesterday she'd followed Naruto out of school. She lived near him so it wasn't a large change in direction. So she had been a block or so behind him when she saw him dash to his right and into an alley.

She ran over to see what was going on. When she caught up and peeked into the alley...she saw the bodies. Naruto was half in and half out of the shadows, pulling a bloody knife from a body on the ground. With a smooth movement he wiped it off and tucked it away. Then he stood up and turned away from her.

Ducking away she'd run back to the end of the block. There she had waited for a minute. When she looked back in the alley...the bodies were still there, but Naruto was gone.

Again, the image of Naruto pulling the blade from the body... her imagination added a slick squelching sound. And the groan of someone who wasn't quite dead. Then Naruto plunging it back in at the throat. Blood spurting around the knife and over his hand. Saeko's hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes were open wide as her mind assaulted her with a flood of images.

A vision of Naruto... A murderer, an assassin. The thought brought a haze of redness to her cheeks. She felt it as heat. First her throat, then her face. She let out a long shuddering breath.

" _Naruto...killed someone. He killed that person in the alley."_ Saeko dropped back onto the bed, biting her lip. This had been a part of her for... a long.. time. The desire to feel other's pain...through the hilt of a sword. The jarring of bones through the grip. Even the slick sound of steel pulled through flesh. But these things she _wanted_. They only manifested in her thoughts and her dreams. Until yesterday she'd never seen someone... die.

It was _exhilarating_. It made her heart beat faster. The feeling of being alive, of making one's self real though the erasure of others. Taking her time to cool down wasn't an option though... It was time for school. She'd already slept late.

" _Naruto..."_

She raised herself to get ready. Changing clothes quickly, she then headed into the bath room. Even in the dim light from the window her face was flushed. _"I need to calm my nerves, but I'll be late if I don't leave now...damn..."_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto met Rei and Saeko as they walked down the sidewalk. Apparently they were waiting for him again. Naruto's cheeks flushed pink.

 **"Someone is happy to see you."**

 _"Zip it Kurama."_

Saeko smelled...enticing. Her red cheeks weren't covered by makeup. Mainly because she didn't wear any. And combined with the strong scent of arousal that tainted the air around her... it wasn't hard to tell what she was feeling. It was rather unsettling. If he'd been back home he would have asked what was making her flushed, but he didn't dare here.

But all the same. He was unable to keep himself from stepping closer to her. His mouth opened to catch a bit more of that _taint_. Saeko's blue eyes couldn't match his when he looked right at her, but as soon as he looked away..."

They headed inside the school, Saeko walking a bit closer than was necessary. Naruto thought he heard Kurama chuckling in the back of his mind.

 _ **"My...my...She must know about yesterday. She smells ever so faintly of blood. Naruto's senses aren't enough to pick up on it. She was following us after all. And for some reason this girl isn't frightened of him despite seeing him kill… interesting..."**_

Rei watched silently as they parted company with Saeko. Rei couldn't be sure but Saeko had looked... flustered the whole time. And Naruto kept... _"I'm sure he was sniffing her but she wasn't wearing any perfume. I'm sure of that. Did they...? Yes they did walk home in the same direction yesterday! No… no they didn't...!"_

Naruto turned and walked through the door into their class room. Rei followed him in, fuming.

 **ooo**

Saya watched as Naruto took his seat. Her heart was jack-hammering away in her chest. Fear, like a newly fledged bird beating at a cage, was blooming in her chest. There was something about Naruto now. As though she as suddenly able to see through his mask. His personality that he projected. It was a mask, quite similar to hers, but his normal attitude was almost as scary.

The veil as they say had been lifted. Naruto was a killer. From the easy... no not _easy_ , the effortless way he moved, to the efficient manner in which he interacted with people. He might not have revealed exactly who he was but to a certain extent she knew him. _"I wonder… Does he trust me to keep it a secret that he killed those guys? Or is he keeping an eye on me at all times, waiting for me to crack?"_

Saya saw Naruto turn and glance at her. He was smirking. Saya realized that he wasn't smirking at her. He was looking behind him to where Rei was sitting. She didn't hear what he said, but an overwhelming feeling of relief hit her and she relaxed back into her seat. _"Thank god that look wasn't for me. I was about to die..."_

Then Naruto's eyes flicked to her and...he winked.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Shizuka stood and moved to her own desk in the nurse's office. There were still reports to sort through. A few injury reports from the Kendo and boxing clubs needed to be processed. But other than that she was free today. So unless someone was injured she would be able to use the rest of her time for her own purposes.

She intended on looking into Naruto's family situation. It worried her that he was a loner. And with him entering martial arts matches as a minor it would be negligent of her not to find out as much as she cloud about his situation. He was quite capable. She knew that he was ranked number 2 in Kendo club. She had been told by Saeko herself that he was more skilled than her and merely lacked experience.

Shizuka thought about it as she finished up on her reports. _"Naruto lives alone and acts as a loner at school. He has no friends and gets perfect grades. At the same time he says that he's not good at getting a job and so he enters arena fights. How he makes so much money is beyond me. If he entered enough fights to make so much money he wouldn't have any time to study. So with that in mind his parents must be wealthy. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to rent the top two floors of an apartment building."_

Taking the time to properly think about it she thought that something else had been skipped over. _"Yes...! His scars. He said that he didn't get them fighting. But they were so brutal... He must have had some kind of terrible accident to get even one of them. If he didn't get them from fighting then where was he injured like that? He's so much of a mystery. If only he wasn't so secretive."_

She completed filing her reports and switched on her laptop. It was time to do some digging. She didn't know what she could dig up with her minor admin code, but there was always a chance she could find something important.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

The lunch bell rang and classes emptied. Naruto found himself sitting at a table with the rest of Kendo club. Saeko sat to his left. Rei sat to his right. Naruto figured that this would probably end up being a regular thing. He sighed. _"It's not like I really have the right to complain. I mean, any other time I'd be happy to have two girls jumping through hoops to be around me. It's just that it's so inconvenient right now."_

One of his fellow Kendo members caught his mournful look. "Hey Naruto-sempai, what's got you down all of a sudden?"

Naruto did his best to keep his expression neutral. "Well... There are just these two particular pains in my neck right now. I just can't seem to shake them off." He didn't look to either side of him and wink. But if he'd been back at the village... he would have.

The boy asked, "Something to do with home huh? I heard from someone that you missed school. And you didn't show up for Kendo the other day."

Naruto nodded. "Yep, it was the day after I fainted. But I'm better now." Naruto looked back to his food. It was so hard not to be his regular self right then. The members of Kendo club shared a camaraderie that he liked. It wasn't as serious as the squads back home, but it was still trust and friendship. And it made him desperately want to crack open his shell and be the spark in the room again. Maybe pull some pranks, fill the handles of all the bamboo practice swords with sand and coat the sparring room floor with floor wax.

A small smirk tilted the corner of his mouth thinking about all the things he pulled on his own team. Like when he magnetized all of Kakashi's shuriken... or the time he'd coated the inside of Sasuke's water flask with liquorish powder. Or even better. He remembered the prank he'd played on Kiba. _"Ah... reverse sexy jutsu... It was kinda scary. Kiba looked pretty hot as a chick... pity he was trying to kill me for the next two weeks."_

Naruto recalled Kiba's priceless expression when they were on their mission to escort a merchant through the Land of Wind. He'd caught Kiba with a version of the Sexy jutsu that temporarily turned the target into a female.

The expression on Hinata's face had been worth all the shit he got for it and more. It had been utterly priceless.

Abruptly Naruto stopped. He froze so completely that the girls on either side of him almost jumped out of their skin. A wave of dread sent a chill down his spine and it felt... like the room had become close and cramped. Claustrophobia bit sharply, causing him to cringe.

Rei asked, "Naruto-kun? Did something happen? Are you feeling okay?"

 **"Something happened."**

 _"I know... It's awful... But what is it? It almost feels like being trapped in a genjutsu."_

 **"No... stay still... try to enter sage mode."**

Naruto mentally nodded and closed his eyes. The instant he entered his meditative trance and reached out for the nature energy around him he felt an overpowering urge to vomit. Nausea almost made him choke. His eyes flew open and he jerked out of his seat.

"Naruto-sempai?!"

"Naruto-kun?!"

The door to the cafeteria closed with a snap. The bolt that kept the doors in place flying off as the door fell flat with a bang.

Saeko and Rei shared a look before getting out of their seats and following.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto dashed through the school at a speed that an Olympic athlete would have envied. His lighting movements and agility carried him through the halls and past students in a blur. This was a fast as he could go without using any chakra. Still... it wasn't fast enough. He had to get to the roof where there wasn't so much distortion from the students around him.

He took the stairs to the roof five at a time, leaping goat like past two girls as they descended to the second floor. They cried out and almost fell, but he was already on the fourth floor.

The door to the roof burst open and he stumbled out into the bright mid day sun. Everything seemed calm, but... he knew... something horrible was happening. Naruto threw caution aside and leaped thirty feet into the air, landing on the very top of the roof. He looked around at the city. It seemed normal... It wasn't.

Naruto pulled his mind inward, concentrating on stillness. The he pushed his thoughts outward in a rapidly expanding sphere. Five minutes passed before he felt it again. The corruption...

It was at least twenty miles away, but it was spreading fast in all directions. It seemed to fill an entire part of the city already. He turned inward again. _"Kurama! What is happening? It's like... I don't know. I've felt this before. It's... it's..."_

 **"It feels disturbingly similar to a technique invented by the Second Hokage. It was called Edo Tensei. The Reanimation jutsu. This presence... it feels as though..."**

 _ **BOOM!**_

 _"Kurama... what was that?"_

 **"An explosion... obviously."** Kurama shifted in his mind. **"Let me take over for a few moments. I will use my eyes to see what happened. It's too far for you to see even with your chakra enhancement."**

 _"Okay... fine! Just don't get any ideas."_

 **"Upstart pup."**

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

The two girls separated to look for Naruto. And it was Saeko who at last ran out onto the roof. She had taken a tip from two girls coming down the stairs and sprinted up them as fast as she could. She had a bad feeling now. It was becoming more solid in the back of her mind. A creeping premonition about what she would find when she reached the top. _"_ _Naruto rarely acts rash like that. He doesn't make sudden inexplicable movements. It calls too much attention to himself and he doesn't do that."_

Her eyes caught the top of the roof and she froze.

Naruto stood, immersed in a pillar of red flame. It swirled around him even as she watched. The tongues of liquid fire lashed out and split apart. Each time it caused the air to ripple, turning the air it's self into the surface of a red lake.

Saeko caught her breath as a wave of heat washed over her. She closed her eyes against the burning light. It was too much. She back away into the doorway.

Then the light vanished, the split flames seeming to swarm around Naruto for a moment before disappearing completely. She blinked as Naruto stiffened and turned on his heel. She ducked out of the doorway. She didn't want him to know she was there. _"I don't know what he is now... Is he human?! And if he isn't then why is he here and... oh shit... We were giving him such a hard time about staying here. What if he's some kind of monster from legend? Or some demon like in story books..."_

She bit her lip as she felt the temperature fluctuate wildly around her. _"Would he kill to keep this secret?"_

Naruto's breath ghosted past her ear. "You saw it didn't you."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement of fact. And he asked it in such a way that made her skin crawl. She turned her head to look at him. His blue eyes were different, just like they had been... only for a second when he woke in the nurses office. A deep blue with a slit pupil. Up close it made him look like an animal.

He grabbed her hand. "It doesn't matter. Something bad happened down town. Shit is rolling uphill if you get my meaning. We have to get out of this school before we're stuck in it!"

Saeko snapped out of her trance as she was almost dragged down the stairs.

"Naruto! Wha...!

Naruto looked back and growled, "Jeeze, I forgot." She let out a girlish shout as he yanked her forward. The move caused her to fall into his arms. He snapped, "Hold on."

She grabbed onto his shirt as they were suddenly falling... fast. Naruto ricocheted off the third floor landing and bolted down the next flight of stairs. He came down without a sound on the second floor. Gasping she wrapped her other arm around his shoulder as he pushed off. They were across the hundred foot long hall in seconds.

Saeko forced herself to shout, "Naruto! What's going on!?"

Naruto didn't look down at her as he bladed down the corridors of the school, but he said. "I'm not sure and I couldn't explain how it feels well enough for it to make sense to you."

He stopped in front the cafeteria. He dropped her on her feet saying, "Listen. I don't want everyone panicking. I'm going to the administration office. I'll get them to evacuate the school. Once you guys get home, hole yourselves up."

"Wait!"

She snatched his wrist before he could disappear. "I want to come with you! I don't know what's going on either!"

He groaned. "I don't have time to play hero right now Saeko! Don't you get it? I'm not even from here."

"And just where are you from? And what the hell is going on?!"

Naruto turned to see Saya Takagi in the doorway. She held up her phone in one hand. "I just got a voicemail from my mom that said something horrible is happening. And you vanished two seconds before I got it. You must know something!"

He groaned wondering how much she knew. "How many people in there look like they got the same message?"

She shrugged, "Ten maybe. A couple kids just got up and left after you did."

"And why didn't you leave? You're parents are some wealthy politicians or something. Wouldn't they want you to go home?"

Saya frowned. "When I said something horrible it means that they can't even send someone to pick me up! And besides I figured you had something to do with it!" She bit her lip. "After all you're the only guy I know with crazy secrets."

He glanced at Saeko then back to her, "Fine. There's something coming from downtown. I don't know how to describe it. It's spreading fast. I could see people running in every direction... some of them were attacking each other. I've got a really bad feeling that it's worse than that though. I just know that the whole school is going to go crazy if I shouted what I thought it was."

Naruto grimaced. "Or they'd just think I was insane. I was about to head to the headmaster's office and convince him to evacuate the school."

Saya looked back inside the cafeteria. "I'll take care of the students here. You take care of the staff. If the headmaster just evacuated the school like that, there'd be just as big a panic."

Saeko nodded. "I go with her."

Naruto gave her the thumbs up. "Got it. I'll take care o..."

 _ **"ATTENTION! ALL STUDENTS MUST EVACUALTE THE SCHOOL GROUNDS! I REPEAT. ALL STUDENTS MUST EVACUATE THE SCHOOL GROUNDS! RETURN TO YOUR HOMES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!"**_

The intercom cut out for a moment and there was a harsh ringing sound from the nearest speakers. Saya glanced at the wall. "That wasn't the normal alert for an emergency. He didn't even tell us to follow the teachers out. What the hell?!"

Then it came back on.

 _ **"Oh Shit! Get away from me! Get AWAY is Said GET AWAY!"**_

They were frozen as a scream echoed through the school, emanating from the intercom. They heard crunching and the grinding of bone. Saya held her hand to her mouth to avoid ejecting her recently consumed lunch as they heard the distinctive sound of flesh _tearing_. A meaty squelch and a clank followed. Then the speaker cut out again.

Naruto's face set. "Forget about not causing a panic. Come on!"

He grabbed Saya and Saeko and ran down the hall, almost dragging them along behind him. Saeko gasped between steps. "Hey, Why not just carry us! You... picked me up like I was nothing! It would be... faster...!"

Naruto grunted as he kicked open a door. It flew right off its hinges. He growled. "I can't keep that up for too long. I need to rest every once in a while or I'll collapse like that time in Kendo!"

He was about to charge though the door way when he saw that he'd knocked someone flat with the door. He pushed forward. "Hey! Are you okay?!..."

The blond pushed the door aside. "Owie... That wasn't nice..."

Naruto recognized Shizuka immediately. She looked up as him. "Oh.. Naruto. I was just going to find you when they made the announcement. Then..."

"I know, shit hit the fan right." He jerked her to her feet. Naruto took one look at her constrictive dress and high heels. He said quickly, "Shoes off and rip that skirt or you won't be able to run properly."

Shizuka blinked in blatant horror. "But! This is Christian Dior!"

Naruto glanced at Saeko. The Kendo president asked bluntly, "Your clothes or your life?"

The blond school nurse cried, "BOTH!"

Naruto growled and allowed Kurama's chakra to leak through. He brought his hand to her hip as a claw pushed out of his skin, then drew it downward, shearing through the thin fabric. "There, now you don't have to decide. Let's go before we get swarmed by students."

Shizuka whined loudly, but fell in behind them. Naruto didn't bother holding on the any of them. He wouldn't be able to rush all three of them out of danger so easily. Saeko stopped him quickly as they came to an intersection in the school hall. "Naruto where are we going?"

"Across the overpass and into the management building. Less people there and we can get keys to one of the staff cars or the bus. Once we have that we get out of the building and head to my place."

Saya asked uneasy, "W..why?"

Naruto felt a sickening feeling rising in his chest. "Nevermind why! I have supplies and plenty of equipment there. Now can we go before something happens? I can tell something bad is happening right this second!"

He darted down the hall to his right and saw the door that led to the overpass. Just before that was the Kendo room. A flash of an idea came to him a second before Saeko ran past him, flinging open the door. Naruto followed after her. Shizuka and Saya waited outside.

A moment later Saeko emerged with her long reinforced bokken. She had also strapped on bracers and knee protection. Naruto had grabbed fingerless gloves with metal plates on the back. Saeko glanced at Naruto. "Not going to get a sword?"

He cracked his knuckles and lashed out at the door frame. It cracked and splintered as his fist buried itself a foot into the wall beyond. Naruto pulled his arm back grinning, "Don't need a wooden sword. I have mine own if it's really needed, but I have much more experience with my hands." He dusted his hands off and lost his grin as a scream sounded down the hall from them. It died out quickly leaving them silent.

Shizuka looked down. "I know it's a bad time to ask… but what are you?"

Naruto glanced back at the two of them. "Complicated. Really complicated."

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Rei dodged aside as one of the... things clawed past her head. She grabbed a textbook from the top of a nearby desk and spun. The spine of the heavy volume smashed into the thinks head, knocking it sprawling. Rei didn't bother to finish it off. She was on the first floor and it was swarming with "them".

She darted through the room and out the other side. She was in the administration building and she had yet to see a single living person for five minutes. It was unnerving. Rei saw the stairs were blocked by another one of them. She hissed and doubled back. The creature lunged after her. The one she'd knocked down was up again and on the attack.

Rei shouted, leaping clear over one of the desks as both crashed into it. She landed on the other side and twisted around. They pushed the desk over, but she was already going back around. She flew up the steps to the second floor.

She stopped there. Four figures shambled inside. Rei grimaced and tried to sneak through the room to the other side. Then her foot connected with something on the floor. It groaned and she looked down. "SHIT!"

It was one of the creatures. She gave it a hard kick and jumped over it. Her fingers closed around the keys to the school bus as the four others turned on her. Rei hissed and grabbed for the nearest approximation of a weapon. A long broom. Eyes narrowed as her hands worked furiously to get the brush off.

They started towards her...

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto encountered the first of monsters on the third floor of the management building. A woman from the staff he recognized. Her jaw hung slack and she was covered in black blood.

He spat. "I hate my life."

The heel of his palm crashed into her forehead.

SNAP!

Her head smack wetly against the wall behind her. Saeko stopped to admire his handiwork. "Nice..."

Naruto ignored her and continued through the room. His senses told him that there was something... else there. And he was right. A second later one of them pulled free of the shadows at the back of the room. Naruto stepped forward and snapped his foot upwards.

CRACK!

Naruto watched as the creature dropped like a sack. He looked around the room, but didn't see what he was looking for. He turned to Shizuka. "Where would the keys to the staff vehicles be?"

She scratched her chin, "Um... I think on the second floor, but... they might be on the fourth. I don't know for sure." Naruto growled in annoyance and turned to Saeko. She had quickly regained her composer once she was in possession of a weapon. He admired that. She appeared almost as calm as he was. _"She would make a good kunoichi if she could use chakra. To be a civilian like her and have the guts to fight well... Even the rest of Kendo club is probably shitting themselves right now... if they aren't dead."_

"Do you know which?"

Saeko nodded, "It'll be the second floor, but this room isn't connected. We have to make our way to the west side of the building."

He tilted his head in acknowledgement and they moved off.

The rooms were mostly empty. It seemed that the staff had abandoned shit very quickly. It made him slightly sick. They'd abandoned their students before anyone even bothered to warn them it seemed. That was disgusting. It made him want to smash a few heads together.

 **"Don't worry Naruto. You'll get plenty of opportunities to do that. No need to take your anger out on the living."**

He pushed Kurama out of his mind as he opened a door to his left. Nothing inside. The doors after showed nothing either. Saya pointed. "Hey, there's the stairs. Let's go!" Naruto pushed ahead of her, heading for the door that led downwards.

He pulled it open and caught the overpowering scent of blood. There was one of them inches from him. Naruto flung his head forward with enough force to send the creature tumbling down the stairs to crack her head on the floor below. Then he was descending, ignoring the startled looks from the girls following him.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Takashi swung his improvised mace with as much force as he could. The ungainly weapon smashed his opponent back and down. The two behind it were taken down as well. He yelled to Kouta who brought up the rear. "Keep from shooting as much as you can or we'll run out of ammo!"

"Got it bro, let's get going before more of em come out of the class room!"

He nodded and ran around the fallen creatures. They ran as fast as they could without making a wrong turn. Takashi turned a corner. There were the stairs to go to the next level. He stopped.

"HELP!"

Takashi whipped back to see Kouta turning in the other direction, dashing after the scream. Takashi realized who it was a second later. It was without a doubt Rei. He swore loudly and flung himself down the hall.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Rei screamed as her sharpened broom handle was yanked from her hand. She turned and ran. The garage with the bus was large... and there were at least a dozen of them there. Fumbling for the keys as she ran, she managed to get them in her hand. Rei slammed into the bus door. She opened it and jumped in. Then she quickly closed them and pulled off her shoe. She jammed the heel in the opening mechanism.

Even as she did it one of them crashed into it. She screamed again "HELP!"

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto opened the door to the bottom floor of the management building where the garage was. The school tour bus was there. He took in the scene in a moment. Twenty of the creatures were clustered around the bus. Naruto knew who had screamed and he saw Rei's face through the door window.

 _"That window won't hold long DAMN IT!"_

 **"No need to hold back now."**

Behind him Saeko as well as Saya and Shizuka stopped. They saw the situation with different eyes than he did. Saeko cringed inwardly. " _Rei's in big trouble, but how can we..."_

Naruto heard a crash from nearby and turned to his left. Just then the door burst open on the other side of the room. He saw Takashi and Kouta there.

 _"Screw this."_

Naruto charged forward. Behind him Saeko shouted, "NARUTO!"

He plunged into the pack of dead. He twisted his wrist and sent a burst of chakra to the seal. There was a flash of blue light and an explosion of smoke.

Naruto roared out his battle cry as he gripped the huge sword he'd summoned in one hand. He sent chakra to his arms and shoulders as he dropped to the floor. The creatures around him were already turning away from the bus to latch on to the figure in their midst. Naruto flung his legs around, using the momentum to bring the heavy blade of the sword around to cleave through at least ten of his enemies. Bone was sliced through with ease as he funneled a small amount of wind chakra up the edge. Just enough to make it inhumanly sharp.

They dropped around him like severed bowling pins. Naruto buried the blade in the floor vertically and pumped more chakra into his arms. He flipped upward. Then while in midair he drew his kunai from his sleeves. In a flash the two monsters still clawing at the bus were slain.

He came down, landing on the pommel of his sword. The rest of them were still alive. Naruto's eyes sharpened as he lashed out, faster than the eye could see. Four sharp cracks sounded as he leaped off his perch and came down again.

His knuckles were bloody as he stepped close to each standing corpse and delivered a surgical strike to the head. It took less than five seconds to drop all of the creatures left standing. _'I need to finish this quick.'_

Then he proceeded to smash the head of those who were missing legs to stand on.

As he crushed the last head the door to the bus creaked open. Rei was looking at him with shock and relief fighting for control over her expression. Naruto glanced around the room searching for more of the undead to cleanse. There were none. Only dumbfounded students and one school nurse.

He placed his hand on the pommel of his massive blade and it vanished in a puff of smoke. Saya was running forward then, closely followed by Saeko and Shizuka. "How did you do that!?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not right now! Get on the bus already." He turned to Takashi and Kouta. "Do I need to write you an invitation?! You're not getting another opportunity ya know!"

Barely five minutes later the garage door opened and Naruto climbed in beside Shizuka. He hurriedly wiped his kunai clean and stowed them away. The blond nurse glanced at him, but didn't speak her thoughts. Instead she cranked the engine. Naruto grimaced as the bus started. It was too loud. Way to loud. But it would have to do.

Shizuka put the vehicle in gear and slammed on the gas. The engine roared like a dragon and they shot forward into sunlight. The first thing Naruto saw was a horde of the undead, seeming like every student in the school had showed up as their un-welcoming committee. Naruto growled and shouted.

"RUN THEM DOWN!"

The school nurse nodded and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. Their speed doubled as the first student smeared herself over the front of the bus. Behind him he heard the rest of the small group shouting as they plowed through the mass of bodies.

Blood sprayed over the windshield and Shizuka put on the wipers. Naruto cracked a smile at that even as a man he recognized... Professor Michel... face planted on the hood. The bus blasted through the gates of the school and out onto the open street a moment later. Bodies continued to impact the front as the few stragglers outside the school were mowed down.

Naruto saw that the road ahead was clear of them. He looked behind through the windows. The school was behind them. Thankfully... finally, behind them. Naruto turned back to look out the front. _"Say good bye Old Fucked Up life and say hello to the new and improved Fucked Up Everything."_

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

They drove for ten minutes. It was a necessity as some of the streets they passed were so clogged with abandoned cars and trucks that they couldn't get through. Riding in silence, they didn't take time to consider what might happen next. That was thinking way too far ahead. Even the cool and collected Saeko was shaken up. And Saya, while not having a mental breakdown at the moment, was certainly looking pale.

Naruto focused on what he could sense around him. He stopped Shizuka from turning left. "Wait. Go straight and then go around the block."

She didn't question him and as they passed the street she had been about to turn on they saw dozens of them.. maybe a hundred. Too many to fight. Shizuka followed his directions for another ten minutes as they moved through the city as a snail's pace.

At least to Naruto it felt that way. He wondered if this felt fast to those who didn't have his abilities.

Then he called them to stop. He turned to everyone on board. "Okay, from here on we go on foot. It's only a block and a half to my apartment so it won't be a problem."

Takashi asked, "Why not drive all the way there. Then we could load supplies directly into the bus."

Naruto shook his head. "Were you paying attention inside the school? Those things can barely see anything. They certainly can't distinguish between one of them and one of us. They use hearing to find prey. This bus is way too loud and if we park it right on the front step we are going to have every single zombie in ten blocks zooming in on us."

Shizuka stood looking confused, "Zombies?"

"I use that word loosely but I don't have a better one right now. So can we go already? I am already running low on energy. I need to rest before we have to fight our way through another group of those things."

Saeko nodded. "Naruto's right, we need to be careful from here on out. Make as little noise as we can. Besides, the sooner we can get to his apartment the better off we'll be. It's on the eighth floor so we'll be much safer from most of those things."

They agreed and funneled out of the bus. Shizuka closed the doors and trooped after the rest. Naruto headed the group as they ran as silently as possible down the sidewalk. _"I can't really use the term "silent" with these guys. Saeko is as stealthy as they come and I've heard pregnant kunoichi move quieter. I'll have to show them have to move properly if a group this large is going to survive."_

The group turned the corner and almost ran into three of them, standing there like apocalyptic manikins. Naruto reflexively took them down. One fist hammered into heads on either side while he kicked out with his foot, sending the other one to crack it's head on the pavement.

Kouta whispered, "Awesome! you gotta teach me how to do that."

Naruto smirked but felt himself tiring. Kurama had used a lot of his reserves while heightening his vision. It required an immense amount of chakra to give yourself better vision than a hawk. It was no wonder that Sharingan took so much out of Kakashi.

He nodded down the street and they continued along.

They stopped at the entrance to the building. Naruto strained to reach out with his senses. There was nothing immediately nearby, but on the upper floors... _"But how did stupid zombies get into locked rooms? It doesn't make any sense... but then again most of this doesn't."_

He turned to them. "Guys, the electricity isn't out in the city yet. This is an industrial area so there will be a ton of backup power even when the people making energy are eating each other. But we can't use the elevator unless we need to move something really heavy. It makes too much noise and there are a lot of zombies in the different rooms."

Rei asked, "But how can you...?"

"I'll explain later. Here's the key to my apartment. It's impossible for any of them to get inside once you lock it. Go to the seventh floor, got it! The elevator entrance to the eighth is rigged."

They nodded mutely. Takashi spoke up. "What will you be doing?"

"I'm going to take care of my fellow tenants if you get my meaning. Since I have no clue how they got killed or bitten or whatever... I need to take care of them now. If this spreads in some way other than how the horror books say, we'd be in serious trouble."

Takashi blinked in surprise but nodded. "I'm not going to suggest you can't handle yourself, but be careful."

Naruto smirked. "Who the hell do you think I am? I'm not a careful kind of person." With that he dashed into the lobby, heading for the stairs. Saeko took charge with Takashi. They led the way to the stairs on the other side of the lobby.

They weren't even in the stairwell before the sound of Naruto kicking a door open sounded behind them.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **Hello, so there is. Now I've been having a minor/major problem. And I want some feedback.**

 **The problem is that I try to look up info on the series, As is specific details about stuff in the anime and or manga. Details I need to knew if I want to write an accurate story that matches at least a little with the original manga.**

 **So now here are the questions.**

 **Q - Does anyone know where I can get good and accurate details about HOTD?**

 **Q #2 - How does everyone feel about me making up a bunch of stuff in order to make it smoother with the story line? Keep in mind that I haven's read the rest of the manga.**

 **Oh and one more thing. I have ironed out Naruto's harem. Saeko - Rei - Saya. No he will not be in a sexual relationship with Shizuka or any other girls. And yes, I have my reasons. Feel free to instant message me if you want more info**


	5. 4 Preparation of the Dead

**(Updated 6/14/18)**

 **Here is chapter 4 guys. This is a mostly informative chapter, but I know it will clear some things up. Also this is where I start to deviate from the plot a bit. I have figured out what I want the conclusion of the story to be so here we go!**

 **And thanks for all the support on this story. I really appreciate all of the positive feedback!**

 **(I don't own any part of HOTD or Naruto)**

 _ **Chapter 4**_

 _Preparation of the Dead_

Saeko sat on the couch by the low table. Next to her sat Takashi and Kouta. The Otaku was having a hard time keeping his eyes off the pile of cash on the table in front of him. It wasn't that he wanted to steal it. It was just that he'd never seen so much physical money in one place before. It made him wonder, _"How rich is this guy?"_

This thought was shared by Takashi. But he was more worried about Rei, who was pacing the room like a dog worrying over a bone.

Saya was looking around the room. She prayed that when Naruto said supplies he didn't mean the lifetime supply of ramen displayed on one wall. The money on the table distracted her for a moment, but there were bigger issues at the moment. Like what would happen if Naruto didn't come back from his clean up job. In the short time since everything had gone to hell they'd quickly learned he was the man with the plan. The kick-ass guy who got them all here safely.

If he didn't come back then someone else would have to step up and take the lead. She didn't really mind that part. Who was in charge was a pointless formality at the moment. But she didn't like the idea of losing someone who could take out a dozen zombies with his bare hands. That kind of guy didn't just fall out of the sky every time you needed him.

It was another twenty minutes before the door clicked open and Naruto entered. He was now covered in much more blood than before, but still uninjured. He walked into the room and proceeded to pull off his soaked shirt.

Rei paced over to him, "What were you doing?! You took almost forty five minutes to..."

Naruto flicked her between the eyes with one finger.

"Ouch!"

He groaned as his shirt came off, revealing his chiseled muscles. Naruto glanced around at them. "Hey, what are you guys waiting for? We don't know if having their blood all over us will infect us. Strip off anything that has too much gore on it. It'll get washed later."

Rei snapped, "Tell us who you are first. We need to know what you're doing here now. It's a matter of survival."

Naruto threw his shirt to the side and sighed. "You sure don't beat around the bush do ya? Fine. Do you want the long complicated story that will likely put you to sleep, or would you prefer the short, impossible unbelievable version?"

She didn't answer for a moment and Naruto shrugged. "I'll take that as option two." He turned to one wall and walked towards it. When it looked like he was about to smack his head into it, he put his leg up.. and stepped onto the wall as if it were level ground.

Rei's jaw dropped, along with everyone else in the room.

Naruto walked up the wall and then onto the ceiling. He said, while still hanging upside down, "This is the super short version." He scowled and let the chakra pull away from the ceiling. He flipped to land on his feet. "You see, I'm NOT normal. In fact, I'm about as far from it as you can get. So before you start asking a ton of pointless questions... No, this isn't magic. Yes, I've always been able to do this to a certain extent. No, I probably can't teach you how to do it. And no, I'm not from around here."

Saeko stood and moved over to him. "So... what are you?"

He pointed to himself. "I _am_ human, but where I come from there are a lot of people who can do what I do. The thing is... this whole world... is not mine. I was dropped here by accident… I think… and stranded. I've tried everything I could to get back home. Nothing works. So I'm stuck in some crazy world were everything's new and the people are weak, not to mention the government is so observant that I had to go to the black market to keep from being picked up as an illegal immigrant."

Kouta said. "You forgot about the dead coming back to life."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. Actually that's the one thing that seems to happen often in both our worlds. I mean... not in the same way, but still..." He cracked a sardonic smile. "As my old sensei might have said, "This is a refreshing return to normal."

They stared at him blankly. Rei asked horrified, "This happened in your world too?"

He shook his head. "No... not what I meant. People come back from the dead but you can talk with them or even have a game of chess if you wanted. They're still _them_. Here it's like their brains are rotted. But that isn't really important. You want to know who I am? I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm human, just like you, but I can manipulate the energy inside my body and around me to do things you would call magic. Simple enough?"

Saya muttered, "I'm just left with more questions that don't get me anywhere. Like how you knew all this was going down so quick when you don't even have a cell phone. It was like you just froze during lunch and bolted. When you came back you grab us and go."

Naruto nodded. "That's part of my power. I can sense danger instinctively. And when something really bad happens nearby I can tell immediately. Also... this... er.. world. It feels unclean to me. Like the entire planet is dying. I'm usually much more powerful than this. I could level towns in my world.. but here I can barely kill fifty weak humans without getting tired. I feel kinda pathetic." He smiled weakly. "It's just getting annoying is all. I hate feeling weak and tired all the time."

Kouta scratched his chin saying. "This is just like the one manga I read. It's about this guy who is super powerful in his own dimension, but when he is forced into another one, his powers don't mix with the new world and he's left weakened. Sounds like you have the same problem."

"Pretty much." Naruto walked over and put his back to the wall, sliding down it. He was very tired now. Too much chakra had been used in a short time. He wasn't a sensory type so reaching out to get a picture of the world around him was tiring as well as draining on his chakra.

The Kyuubi's voice rang in the back of his mind. **"Was it wise to tell them about you?"**

 _"They wanted an explanation. I'm sick and tired of lying and making up excuses anyway. Besides, how was I going to hide it? They knew what I did was physically impossible for human like them. I wasn't going to leave them just so I can preserve my image."_

 **"I suppose you are correct on that much, though... what will you do now?"**

 _"Ha! No fucking clue. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."_

 **"You should find some way to teach them how to manipulate chakra... if it's possible. I know you aren't a teacher, however, it may become exceedingly tiresome to protect them constantly."**

 _"Well it helps that I can be in more than one place at once huh?"_

 **"True.. but still, don't become careless. You might as well be god compared to them. It's their lives you risk if something goes wrong because of you."**

 _"I know... don't remind me..."_

Naruto turned his attention to those around him. They were distraught, worried, afraid... and it was a bit unnerving how easily they accepted his explanation. He'd fully expected some half-assed joke about where the wires were. But... none was forthcoming.

He glanced at Saeko. She seemed to have relaxed more than anyone else. A calm veil had settled over her. He figured this was her combat training as opposed to her usual attitude. _"I hope she stays composed though this. It would be great if I can have a level headed partner who actually can handle herself reasonably well."_

Rei looked slightly shell-shocked, but she also kept together well. Saya was even more cool than Saeko, but he could smell the truth. She was one near death experience from a breakdown. Takashi also had the same look as Saya. Unstable. Naruto saw the same look in his eyes that he'd seen in Sakura a couple times. Then there was Kouta. The fat Otaku had put himself into a much brighter light in his eyes. He'd suddenly and without warning, turned into a stone cold killer with that modified nail gun of his.

" _I'd bet all the ramen in the world that guy is secretly a gun nut."_

 **"Done."**

 _"Hey!? what was that!?"_

 **"You better hope he's a weapon lunatic like Tenten."**

 _"No fair! You didn't wager anything!"_

 **"So...?"**

 _"So I can't bet against myself!"_

 **"Who said? It just means you have to give up your annoying ramen obsession whether your right or wrong."**

 _"Like hell! You overgrown orange hairball!"_

 **" t. Do you know what that spells Naruto?"**

 _"Uh... no?"_

"Naruto... Naruto... NARUTO!"

He snapped out of his thoughts to look up at Rei. She sighed, "Jeeze Naruto. Sometimes you just go all glassy eyed. Freaks me out."

He scratched his head nervously, "Uh... sorry about that. It's kinda hard to stop it happening sometimes."

"But you don't do it in class."

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, but the Kyuubi tries not to talk to me during class unless I run into a hard question."

Saya, Rei, and Saeko shared a look. "Kyuubi?"

 **"KIT..."**

 _"Oops... my bad. Did you want me to keep you a secret? Sorry Kurama."_

 **"No wonder Kakashi was so exasperated all the time. Your jaw hangs loose and all kinds of secrets just come leaping out! For you information my mediocre container, I don't care if you tell them about me, but for Kami's sake ask first!"**

 _"Jeeze, look who's the sensitive one now."_

Naruto quickly cut the connection with Kurama and grinned at his guests uneasily. "Um... yeah, I never told you about my little friend"

Saya inquired, "Just what do you mean by that?"

He sighed and drew demonic chakra to the seal on his chest. The dark markings over his stomach glowed an evil red for a moment before it inked black. Saeko gasped. "What the hell?!"

"The thing is I have a demon spirit trapped inside me. He's not the soft cuddly type either. He's the really big and scary type. His name's Kurama. This thing on my stomach is his seal. When you see me space out it's usually because we're talking."

Saeko stepped forward and knelt by him. She reached out and ran her fingertips over the black seal. Her eyes lifted to his. "It doesn't feel strange... yet I get the feeling when so say demon you don't mean the biblical kind."

"I wouldn't know about that. Kurama looks like a huge nine tailed fox which is why he's called Kyuubi. I don't understand how this world works as far as magic and stuff goes. From what I've read most of your religions seem a bit stupid. It's all about sin and god, heaven and hell. I don't pay attention to that."

Takashi stood and walked over. "I don't really care if you're a demon or a human or whatever. You're the toughest finger I've ever met by a long shot. And you did get us out of that school... Plus you managed to save Rei... Thanks for the help."

"No problem."

He looked around at the other students. "But I have to ask. What are you doing here and what are you planning now?"

Naruto let himself relax a bit. "Listen. I've been acting like a loner for months. I'm not really like that. I wanted to make friends but I was trying hard to find a way home. I only just gave up on getting home quick. To be honest the way I was sent here might make it almost impossible to get back." His expression saddened. "Now that things have gone to shit here... I'll try to survive. And since I have you guys around I'll help protect you as much as I can. After all you're the only friends I have."

Saya stuttered. "B..but we hardly know you at all! Or the other way around! How can you call us friends or have any interest in protecting us?!"

"Why did I save you from being robbed and probably raped and murdered the other day? It wasn't because I really like you or anything. I couldn't stand back and watch it happen. It's part of my personal code. My way of living. I try to help people when I can."

Saeko had gone slightly pale. She looked to Saya. Still on the couch, Kouta asked, "Wow... he helped you too?!" The girls looked back at Kouta. "What? You think I'm too fat to get mugged?"

Saya asked, "But I thought you wanted to keep that a secret...?"

Naruto waved it off. "Listen. That was only because of the problems it would cause if you let it slip who I was. Now I can't keep secrets from everyone. I'll tell who what I'm capable of so you know what I can and can't do." He sighed, seeing their curious expressions. "For one thing I can't turn you back into a human after you've been infected or whatever turns you into a zombie. And none of us know how this spreads do we? So like I said before strip off the blood soaked clothes before you catch something a whole lot worse than the common cold."

Rei, Shizuka, and Takashi all looked embarrassed. Saeko looked down at herself. She had hardly any blood on her at all. No more than a few droplets. She shrugged. "Not a problem."

Saya imitated the Kendo club leader. Naruto saw the expression on the other three bloodied individuals and sighed. This was going nowhere fast. If they were going to live through this shit they'd have to start moving out of their comfort zone.

"Ya know where I come from killing people is a common profession. In fact it's easily the _most_ common profession. When I'm sent on a mission modesty gets thrown out the window until I get home. Right now this is survival. And the more time we waste on things we take for granted the worse off we are."

Naruto stood up and went to the elevator and opened it with the his key card. "So let's get this straight. I'm not telling you to be comfortable with being naked in front of each other but we aren't going to be drowning in luxuries here. In an older building like this we might have real power for a day. And depending on if something goes wrong with the grid we could have backup for a week or two. So we're not going to even have water after that."

The elevator door slid open. He pointed into it. "If you have to preserve your modesty then go to the top floor. I have plenty of extra clothes in the big dresser on the _left._ Unless you want a nasty shock don't touch _anything._ " He gave the whole room a withering glare. "And I mean anything."

Rei quickly moved to the elevator with Shizuka. Both girls waited for the doors to close. Naruto turned to the rest of them. "So... first things first. I think we need to be on the beach. Someplace where we can put up defenses. The sea can offer food and water and a means of escape. I doubt the zombies can swim." He glanced around at them. "But I need to know what you guys want. After all I just need a stable place with plenty of room to work on a way home. You're the ones with family."

Kouta coughed. "Well for me... my parents actually left yesterday to go to their different jobs. Both are out of the area. Mom is way up north and dad isn't even in Japan. So my family is out of the question." He sniffed. "I... I guess they're probably dead right now." He rubbed his hand over the side of his makeshift gun. I wish they were here now..."

Naruto looked away from Kouta. A much as he could empathize with him... he'd started out with no parents. He turned his attention to Takashi. "What about you?"

The boy pulled his fingers through his hair. "Arrg... My dad is gone and my mom works at a preschool the town over. I want to go look for her at least." He glanced up. "What about you Saeko? Isn't your dad an international Kendo master or something?"

"Yes. He was in Germany and most recently Brazil. He was supposed to come home soon. I didn't get a copy of his last schedule so I'm not sure." She closed her eyes. "It doesn't matter. If he's dead, I'll never see him again. If he's alive it's the same. Anything that spreads like this has to be worldwide by now. Airports are going to be down before they know it."

She smiled thinly. "Besides... school was boring anyway."

Naruto almost cracked up at that. "Now that's something I agree with 100%. I'm _almost_ glad this happened. If it wasn't for the zombies I'd be happy to get out of school permanently."

Saya frowned at that. She put her hand under her chin in thought. After a second she turned to him with a confused look. "Wait. If that's the case then explain to me why you bother to have perfect grades? If you hate the school and you're trying to get home, why not hole yourself up in your room until you found a solution?"

"Well, about that. When I was dropped in this world it caused a bit of a commotion. The government has my picture... or _had_ it let's say. They apparently we looking for me after the mess I caused because this investigator showed up at my apartment... not this one... and started badgering me for answers."

Saya blinked in surprise. "You had a government investigator track you down?"

Naruto shrugged. "It wasn't as if I knew what I was doing at the time. I had no clue how this world worked and I was still recovering from... injuries. Then this woman shows up threatening to throw me in jail. I took it in stride. Instead of talking, I grabbed her, tied her up in the living room and convinced her to tell me how most things worked here. Took a week before she gave in and told me what I wanted to know. But then again... It probably would have been quicker if I'd tortured her."

He tried to sound casual but by the looks on their faces... well, everyone's besides Saeko. They were shocked. Saya was somewhat slack jawed. "You kidnapped her?!"

"What else was I supposed to do?! I didn't even know where I was! And she thought I was insane since I didn't know about the most basic things. You all grew up taking technology for granted. I didn't grow up with half the stuff you have. Were I come from there are no cell phones. Only the most basic computers and even those aren't the same thing since they're powered by chakra and advanced Fuinjutsu!"

Saeko stared at him for a moment then asked, "All of that aside. You just mentioned chakra. Isn't that some kind of mystical energy that monks use to find enlightenment?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. Um... Jeeze I was ever good and explaining it." He pulled a hand through his hair and tried to recall exactly how Iruka had explained it back in academy. "Chakra is the energy you get when you mix your physical energy and spiritual energy together. You only get chakra if you can combine them. For instance the monks and priests of this world might have a ton of spiritual energy, but your bodies are... well... weak. You don't have the physical potential to do a lot of the most basic jutsu. And besides that you have to be trained to combine them I the first place. I've met a two people who have chakra here. Two..."

She looked surprised. "I'm amazed that anyone would have the same power as you."

He shook his head. "Not like me. I mean I could tell they had chakra, not that they were powerful. To be honest they were pathetically weak as far as chakra went... sorry... I uh should probably just say this now..."

Takashi shifted in his seat and he asked, "Say what? You sound like this isn't good news."

Naruto glanced at Saya. "Well, it really depends on how you think about it. One of the people who have chakra is you Saya."

"WHAT!? How is that possible?! I don't know anything about that stuff!"

"It's only a tiny bit. I mean like the smallest sliver. I'd stopped thinking about it. My original plan was to be as much of a loner as I could so I would be forced to leave behind friends that I might never see again... so I put it out of my mind."

He stepped over to her grabbing her hand. "My point is that any of you could... technically use chakra if you could train hard enough to harness you physical and mental energy... and I taught you how to mix them. But you have natural chakra... basically you have an inborn reserve of energy that most people here don't have."

She looked down where he was holding her hand. "Um.. okay, but..."

"Now I'm going to send a tiny amount of my chakra through you hand to show you."

"Wait! What are...!" Saya went rigid and then relaxed as he sent a small pulse of chakra up her arm. Her eyes went wide and she looked down at her hand. "It feels... weird... like I don't know. Like I can feel the blood in my arteries, but it isn't blood."

Naruto smiled. "Exactly. That means you also have a chakra network." He stopped. "Actually that a much better description than Iruka sensei ever gave. Anyway.. I'll try to show you how to use it later. But I think we're getting off topic again." He let go of her hand asking, "Where do you want to go?"

She felt the pleasant sensation running up her arm dissipate as he let go... but it still lingered somewhat. It tingled through her shoulder and spread through her as she stood there. _"This... it's so strange..."_ After a few second she shook herself and ignored the feeling. "Well, my father is a politician and my mom is in business. Our family has a large estate. They've probably holed up there." She ground her teeth together. "It's not too far from here. If we can... I need to see them. They're alive. I'm sure of that much."

Naruto asked Takashi. "Do you think your mother can be contacted?"

"Not really. She should be safe enough. That town has a pretty small population and it's mostly residential. I'd bet she's fine. Not like here with the massive amount of people."

There was a moment where Naruto wondered where they should head first. Then he heard the elevator come back down from the top floor. The door opened with a quiet ding!

Rei and Shizuka walked out. Naruto blinked and felt his face go red. The nurse was wearing an extremely baggy T-shirt which remained tantalizingly tight over her bust. Naruto decided that Tsunade had some serious competition. She also wore black sweat pants. Shizuka looked down at herself, obviously discontent with the available clothing upstairs.

Rei on the other hand was much closer to Naruto in both height and size, not having the blond's huge rack helped too. She had on a blue long sleeve shirt and one of his jackets. Naruto noted she had chosen one of the special one he'd bought from a shady tailor two towns over. It was lightly armored, being reinforced with Kevlar and metal plates over the chest and back. In addition to that she had a pair of his blue jeans, though the legs were baggy.

Naruto made a mental note to find _something_ that would both fit and protect the busty nurse more than what she had on. "Good... you two are alright. Your turn Takashi."

The boy nodded and walked past the girls into the elevator. Naruto saw Takashi glance at Rei with a strange expression for a moment. He ignored it for the time being and asked Rei, "So we were just taking about where to go after this. Do you want to search for your parents or something?"

"I'm not sure. Mom… I don't know what she was doing today. Dad's a police officer. I already tried calling him. I didn't get anything. I have to assume he's working at his job right now. But I don't know if the police are holding together or not."

What she didn't say but thought was probably true was that her father would be on the front lines of this crisis. He most likely had fallen to "them". Naruto saw what she refused to say in her expression. He turned to Shizuka. "Anyone important to you that we might search for?"

She went still for a moment as if thinking hard. "Well... no. Not really... I do have a roommate but she's not here at the moment."

Naruto smiled a bit at how much of a ditz she was. It was comical to him, coming from a world like his. He looked to Saya again. She was rubbing her hand with a faraway look. Naruto heard Kurama speak low in his mind, _**"Naruto... Something Important. When you were funneling chakra into that girl just now.. it felt... familiar somehow."**_

 _"Really? I didn't sense anything like that. Her chakra just seems strange to me."_

 _ **"I would advise that you pay attention next time... and you should definitely train her. From everything I've seen, see is a genius… unlike you. Actually she's a bit like the Uchiha. Smart and clever while at the same time arrogant and pissy."**_

 _"Sometimes I get this feeling like you really hated the Uchiha's before Sasuke or that other one came around."_

 _ **"If you're speaking of Madara Uchiha... yes I despised that clan even before then. What of it? Almost as a rule, the Uchiha are arrogant and easily manipulated. A deadly combination. Sasuke is a prime example of the perfect Uchiha. Arrogant to a fault with extreme genius intellect and an insatiable thirst for power. He even had the perfect sob story."**_

Kurama chuckled, _**"On the other hand you're the anti-Uchiha. Extremely ignorant of nearly everything. You are unpredictable at the best of times and you seem to gain power without realizing it. You're the definition of an Idiot savant."**_

 _"What the heck is that?"_

 _ **"My point exactly.**_

Naruto drifted back to reality as Shizuka finished a long winded... rather round about explanation of her living arrangements with her friend and roommate. Naruto realized he'd missed everything, but didn't particularly mind.

He felt a wave of lethargy roll over him and stifled a yawn. Saeko glanced at him. "You tired Naruto?"

"Exhausted... I need to rest after using so much chakra..."

Rei asked, "Um, what is that?"

Naruto groaned. "Long story short... it's the reason I'm so good at killing things." He moved to the couch next to Kouta. "Anyway. I'm not sure if you girls are tired since it's still fairly light outside... but I actually need to rest." He closed his eyes. "The bed upstairs is available and there's another one that is on this floor in the other room. They're both king-size so if you don't mind sharing there will be plenty of space."

He let himself relax. His muscles loosened slowly after the day's events. Rei seemed puzzled. "Are you just going to crash on the couch?"

Naruto muttered half heartedly. "A ninja must deal with adversity. This couch is only a small obstacle to me sleeping..."

Saeko watched Naruto literally drift off mid sentence. _"He must be exhausted. He wasn't lying earlier when he said that using his powers here was tiring... And.. did he call himself a ninja?"_ She turned to Saya. "Since Naruto is willing to help us find our families first, where do you suppose we go first? I believe that either yours or Rei's families will be closest. But at the same time, those are both densely settled areas. Takashi's mother might be the easiest one to find."

Saya agreed. "That's true but my father will have more supplies then I see here. This place is bare. Honestly we need big guns and the people to shoot them before we go on any search and rescue missions."

Rei dipped her head. "Yes... I think that's right, but what about Naruto?"

Saeko shrugged. "He's helping us. And he's already doing a pretty damn good job. I see no reason not to take what help he offers. Do you think we would reach Saya's house unscathed without him?"

They all went silent, looking at Naruto, who might as well been dead for how still he was.

Kouta spoke up then. "Hey... Um, I don't know about you, but I think it would be a good idea to wait here a little bit..."

Saya raised her eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"Well, because right now... we're all shaken up by this even if we don't show it. And it would be good to figure out a path to Takagi's house before we go. And if we took a few days then we could load the bus with all the supplies we needed before heading out. I just think if we rush things we're going to be in trouble..."

Saya laughed. "Wow... And the chubby has spoken. I didn't realize that brain of yours worked on real problems and strategy."

Kouta smiled nervously. "Yeah, sorry..."

Saeko's eyebrows rose in mild surprise. "About what? It was a good idea. We should stay here a few days. And Naruto looks like a few days rest would do him more good than a few hours. And this way he can explain his abilities to us and more on how his powers work. I have a feeling that his short version was microscopic compared to the whole truth."

Saya nodded. "I want to see what he meant by showing me how to use it."

Rei put her hands on her hips, feeling left out of the loop again. "Use what?!"

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Takashi didn't know what Naruto meant by not touching stuff on the top floor. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary at all. It was by all accounts a perfectly normal... if luxurious room. A massive four-poster bed in the center of the back wall. There were four dressers. Two large and two small. One large dresser to either side of the room and on small flanking either side of the bed.

He raised an eyebrow to the empty room before moving to the left dresser. He opened the drawers, pulling out a few shirts and pants that might fit. Once he was done he stripped off his blood soaked shirt and pants. He'd removed his jacket already when he'd first encountered one of the dead. The festering creature had lunged at him, managing to get its teeth into the jacket. It had ripped beyond use. Naruto seemed to have a lot of jackets and for the most part... they came in various shades of orange and red.

This wasn't as annoying as it could have been, only because he was grateful Naruto kept so many spare clothes. _"Why he would have enough clothes for an entire club of guys just for himself is beyond me though. And what is up with all the baggy clothes. It's almost like he makes sure that everything is a size too big..."_

Takashi recalled what Naruto had looked like without a shirt. _"Then again... that dude is ripped. So I guess these fit. I'm lanky compared to him."_ He sighed at that thought. _"It's probably part of the reason why she likes him. I've always acted like the lazy bad boy. It's who I am, but Naruto is the mysterious bad boy with the ridiculous powers and crazy attitude. I'm almost surprised he didn't have a girlfriend at school to keep up appearances."_

He tried to puzzle out some of Naruto's behavior, but came up blank on most of it. Either Naruto was a huge hypocrite or the world he came from was seriously fucked up. _"It's probably the second one... hey... What's that?"_

Takashi spotted something on the other side of the room. It seemed to have materialized out of thin air. It was the corner of a wooden table... seeming to float suspended in the air. Takashi stepped forward and leaned back and forth checking to see if it was real or not.

It was real alright. But it was just so weird. He took another step and felt something cut into the pad of his foot.

"OUCH SHIT!"

 _ **CRASH!**_

His dexterity was somewhat lacking as he tripped forward. The room spun crazily in his vision and suddenly... it was _very_ full. Everything you could imagine was there. Six tables were laden with equipment. There were stacks of star shaped throwing disks, kunai hung in bundles, and there were at least twenty separate swords in the room. The edges of all these weapon gleamed in the light from the ceiling. One table was heaped with scrolls and little ink wells. Another had various... bottles and other chemical looking things. In the center of the room was a clear spot where it looked like the floor had been burned and scraped away. There was an odd looking circle drawn around it too. If he didn't know any better, it looked like the magic circles that were in all the supernatural anime.

Takashi looked back, rolling onto his butt. He had stepped on the razor edge of a long, curving... double edged dai-katana. It was easily as tall as he was. Perhaps as tall as Naruto.

And... he'd cut his foot open on the back edge. _"How the hell, Was this stuff really invisible before?! It must have been cause I would have sworn it wasn't here!"_

The elevator door dinged open and Naruto came in. Saya and Saeko were there too. Naruto took one look around the room and growled. It was almost like a bear. "I told you not to touch anything and to go directly left right?" He groaned. "Now you went and cut your foot open. Let's hope it isn't so bad that I need to get Kurama to heal you."

Takashi looked down at his foot where it was pulsing pain up his leg, while at the same time it was bleeding profusely. Naruto grabbed him by the ankle, lifting it to inspect the wound.

"Hey! be careful with.. OW!"

Naruto sighed. "This is annoying. And I was just going to rest a bit too." He turned to tell Saeko to get Shizuka, but she wasn't paying attention to him.

She was wide eyed; entranced by his weapons and all the dozens of different "things" he had everywhere. She stepped over to the table where half a dozen long blades were laid out. She brushed her finger over them then picked up a katana. It was almost straight, only having a slight curve near the tip. She tested the edge and smiled as blood immediately drew from her skin.

Naruto couldn't help grin too. He asked, "Do you like my collection Saeko-chan?"

She nodded, sucking on her finger. Then she spied his personal favorite blade. Her blue eyes lit up with something akin to greed. She moved to it.

It was a weapon from his world. A powerful artifact. It was known both as Dawn fang and Dusk fang. The sword was in the style of a bastard sword. It had a hand and a half handle with a large gemstone set in the pommel. The hilt was a wide cross guard, seemingly crafted of some amber colored metal. A second large stone in the center of the hilt pulsed dully.

The blade it's self was the most incredible feature. Very wide. It started out almost six inches wide and narrowed like a roman gladius to the tip. Twin tips as it were.. because halfway up the blade the blood channel actually split the blade in two. The gap in between the separate halves had been fashioned into razor sharp teeth. Naruto called the sword Dracula after a horror movie character in this world. Mainly because the sword fed on anything it cut. It literally ripped the victim's life energy out of them.

Thinking about it made him shiver slightly. He cautioned her, "Saeko-chan. That's a sword from my world. Don't let it draw blood. You would NOT like what happens to you."

From the doorway Saya asked, "What does that sword do if it cuts you?"

He grimaced. "It basically sucks your soul from your body to feed the weapon. You see, during the day the blade is unnaturally hot. And every time you kill something the edge heats up. After a few kills the sword's blade is literally white hot and will set plenty of stuff on fire just getting close... Also during the day it gives the user immunity to fire. And at night it does the opposite. Ice instead of fire and cold instead of heat."

"How many lives has this sword claimed?"

Naruto shrugged. "In my hands? About twenty. Since it was made? Probably hundreds. It's an ancient weapon, passed down through one of the powerful clans in my world. I only have it because I was given it by the last user. I still had it with me when I got stuck here."

Saya shivered. "Hundreds? That's freaky..." She shook her head violently and turned to Takashi. "Well... look what you've done now... idiot. How are you going to run or fight?"

Naruto coughed. "It's not really his fault. He was just curious. Until you go a certain way's into the room all this stuff is invisible. He disabled the illusion I set up when he stumbled into one of the invisible items. Unfortunately he stepped on something very... sharp."

He sighed. "But I suppose I don't really need to have all of these blades be as sharp as a razor. But one of the Kunoichi from my village had a saying."

"What saying? I'm interested in what wisdom you world has to offer."

Naruto smirked. "She used to say _A dull blade is like a man without a dick... Useless_."

The pinket's jaw dropped. "What!? That's the best quote from your world?!"

He shook his head. "No… She had way better ones, but most of those are sexual and didn't really match the situation. I might tell you some of them later." He scratched his head chuckling as he recalled some of the Anko's more colorful sayings. Then again Jiraiya had his fair share of sayings too. They'd probably get him castrated though… "Anyway, go get Shizuka so she can check this wound over. I'm not a medical nin."

"Is that like a ninja trained to heal other ninja on missions?"

"You bet. Most of the time we go in teams of four so there is always room for one medical nin on the squad."

Saeko stepped over to the table covered in scrolls and parchment. "What are these?"

"Oh? Those are some seals I was working on. My sensei had me start working on seals in the last few months of training with him. But it's really hard to do them here. Especially without the special parchment we use in our world."

"Is it some kind of paper that is made to absorb your power?"

He smirked. "Exactly. It's imbued with chakra already, so you don't have to worry so much about damaging the paper. When you make anything with an elemental release you have to worry about screwing up what your working on. If I use wind chakra then I might accidently shred the paper while activating the seal."

Naruto turned to Saya. "Hey... I think I'll bring Takashi downstairs. That way Shizuka will have more room to work.

"Good idea."

Takashi looked up at him agitated. "Hey! What do you mean by bring me?"

"I meant I'd carry you. Don't worry, I won't drop you."

The boy groaned as Naruto quickly lifted him up. "That is not what I meant! I can go on my own!"

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Two hours later Naruto was out cold in his bed upstairs. Takashi was downstairs, resting on the couch. Shizuka had stitched the gash in his flesh with the copious amount of medical supplies Naruto had on hand.

Kouta had decided that a nap was defiantly in order and was snoozing on the downstairs bed. The rest of the group sat together around the small round table. The cash had been moved to the side and a few maps were laid over its surface. However they were done with planning for now. Takashi had agreed that they needed to get to Saya's house. It would be well guarded and would likely have power long after other places lost it. Also, she had admitted that she felt the need to see her mother again... though her father seemed forgotten.

Rei agreed as her home was in the area as well. Saeko had made it clear that she would go where they chose.

Saya undid her hair and ran a brush through it. She felt... undeniably dirty. Even though she hadn't clashed with the dead herself... the experience still left her unclean. Being drenched in sweat did not agree with her. Especially now that it was getting cold. I caused her skin to feel clammy. She groaned mentally and turned to the other girls. "So... When do we shower? I mean, we aren't going to have hot water for much longer. We should all enjoy it while we can."

Rei nodded. "I second that. Besides all I did was change clothes."

Shizuka stood and darted into the large bathroom. "I call dibs on tub!"

"HEY NO FAIR!" Rei charged after her. Saya muttered something about immaturity as Saeko stood. She walked to the elevator and passed their card over the scanner. The doors opened. Saya turned around asking, "Where are you going? Naruto's sleeping up there."

Saeko shrugged. "Obviously there's a bathroom on the top floor too. No point in fighting over this one." With that she stepped into the elevator. Saya hurriedly stood and stood next to her as the doors closed. Saeko glanced at her raising an eyebrow. "What makes you think I want company while I wash?"

Saya huffed. "Come on, you're not the kind of person to worry about modesty during the apocalypse." She eyed Saeko strangely. "Are you?"

The older girl smiled thinly. "Not really. It depends."

The doors opened again and Saeko walked out and into the room. Her eyes sweeping over the stacks of weapons and equipment. It made her a bit hot just looking at all the panoply of war. Naruto had enough swords alone to equip their group twice. She wondered what he was planning on taking when they left.

She glanced at Naruto where he lay curled up on the bed. Her cheeks darkened as she diverted from her original course to approach him. Saya hesitated behind her before following. They came to the foot of the bed. Naruto lay in the center. Neither could stop themselves admiring him. It looked like he'd already taken a shower. He was clean of blood and gore from the day's battles.

Saya glance at her with an interested look. "So Saeko... when you said your modesty depends on who is bathing with you... what exactly did you mean by that?"

Saeko turned away from the bed and into the bathroom. "Your the genius here aren't you? Figure it out. I won't lie. If you're right I'll let you know."

Saya quickly followed Saeko into the bathroom. "Yeah...? At least you're right about that!"

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Back at the school Hisashi gritted his teeth as he pulled the needle through his skin, sewing the stab wound closed. It still bled, but fortunately he had a good tourniquet around his upper arm. Once again he thanked god that he bothered to get basic medical training aside from his black belt in Karate. He was lucky that the girl Yuuki had more in her head than sex. At least she'd grabbed a first aid kit from the nurse's office on the way through.

He looked around the dimly lighted room at those around him. Three girls and two other boys stood or sat in the room with him. They looked haggard. Two of them had already died... attacked and killed by "them" as he'd decided to call the living dead. Miura was bitten on the second floor. Then he was trampled by a horde of students trying to escape. Kurokami had his throat bitten out by one of them shortly afterward.

They'd lost track of the two girls Taniuchi and Kawamoto. Hiashi guessed both of them were dead too. So... here they were, trapped in the secondary storage room. Outside were at least ten of them. Hiashi didn't dare open the door and no one else was willing to take the chance to run the gauntlet.

And things were getting... strained inside. He'd already knocked some sense into the megalomaniac of a teacher he'd saved. The constant groaning and moaning from outside was grating on everyone's nerves. Hisashi worried what would happen to them. There didn't seem to be a way out. And with no way out... they were all guaranteed to die. He hoped it wouldn't come to that.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **Ah... there we go. The next chapter will be more.. fun. Sort of, don't expect sunshine an daisies. This is a zombie fic. And I know what you're thinking... NARUTO'S A HOARER. Yes, this is true, but in a world where you don't know how everything works the Shinobi mentality is to hole up and stock up... and set lots of traps. See ya next time!**


	6. 5 Rescue from the Dead

**(Updated: 6/21/18)**

 **Ah... so here is the newest chapter. Finally got some time to write and the stupid writing box in the document processor won't open... Oh well, That's certainly not the important part. Here is something that is...**

 **I've decided to give a few individuals from the HOTD side of the fanifc chakra. I've received some problems for this. Let me just say that there is a good reason for it. Don't assume I'm just doing it to give Naruto some fighting buddies.. (I'd call that a perk though)**

 **Anyway, Chapter 5 is here... your welcome, and no I don't own Naruto or HOTD**

 ** _Chapter 5_**

 _Rescue from the Dead_

Naruto stirred in his sleep. His biological clock was yelling for him to get up. He ignored groaned and ignored it in favor of snuggling deeper into the warm blankets. He was still too comfortable to wake fully. Never the less his senses returned to their usual sharpness despite him willing them back into their dulled state.

A few minutes passed before his ears registered a whispering sound. There and then gone and there again. Naruto's sleep fogged brain cursed the fact that he could register a pin dropping in the other room. This noise was _annoying_.

Naruto growled and tightened his grip on the large pillow he'd latched onto. His 'pillow' mumbled something he couldn't quite understand. This further annoyed him and he groaned as his hearing assumed its normal acuity. He forced his head under the covers to avoid the sounds that were starting down stairs.

He abruptly went rigid as he drew in breath through his nose. It smelled sweet and rosy and… oh so feminine…

Naruto opened his eyes and used one arm to pull the covers back. His eyes widened. The first thing his bleary eyes registered was... pink. That and pale skin. Naruto found himself staring at Saya who was currently sleeping _right there_. Right there, close enough that her breath tickled his nose with each exhalation.

His shock was magnified to see that she had apparently wrapped her arms around him during the night.

 _"What. The. hell.?"_

 **"Someone's popular."**

Naruto shifted quickly, disengaging from her without waking her further. He sat up and froze again. _"Saeko-chan too?!"_ Saeko was curled up on his other side. Her long dark hair was splayed out over the bed and it was clear she'd been cuddled right up against him.

 **"If you don't breathe sometime soon you'll suffocate..."** Kurama chuckled. **"The apocalypse should have happened sooner by my reckoning. First day and you already have three girls sleeping in the same bed as you."**

Naruto's eyes shifted, disbelieving to the last girl. The one completely hidden by blankets. Naruto sniffed the air. _"I'm dreaming right... Saeko... sure. She's got some kind of crush on me. I can believe she snuck in. Besides there's only two beds. Rei… the same thing. But SAYA!? When did she start liking me?!"_

 **"Who can say? Maybe she was just taking advantage of an open space on the bed. It's entirely possible that it's your fault. Judging by the number of undead outside the school, I would bet that she would be dead if it weren't for you."**

 _"Yeah... still freaking hard to believe..."_

 **"I'll admit that even I find this situation bizarre. In our world the only woman you'd ever wake up to was an enemy Kunoichi trying to slit your throat."**

Naruto shook his head to clear it. His cheeks were red as Kurama's eyes. He just knew it.

As he watched Saeko muttered something and opened her eyes. Her gaze waivered for a second on Saya's face, which was only a foot or so from her own. Then she pulled herself to a sitting position. One hand rose to rub at her eyes as she yawned.

"Morning Naruto-kun."

He blinked several times, trying to see though this blatant Genjutsu. But he knew it was real... Saeko was wearing nothing but a bra and panties. _-Error. Mental safety check failed. System shut down imminent.-_ A tickle of blood escaped his nose as he fell off the end of the bed… delightfully unconscious.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Twenty minutes later Naruto sat on the couch on the lower floor. Saeko, Saya, and Rei sat around the table with each displaying a different emotion. Saya... mortified. Rei... pleased. Saeko...? Well, he couldn't tell what she was feeling from her face, but she smelled like she was happy about something.

He decided it was about time he asked... before one of the others woke up.

"Would someone tell me why your three were sleeping in my bed? Or why you two were almost naked?"

Saeko shook her head as if he were blowing this way out of proportion. "We weren't naked at all. I had a bra and panties on."

Naruto deadpanned. "A black lace bra that doesn't leave anything to my imagination... and -ahem- 'panties' that left even less. I mean... I know there are only two beds but come on. Did you really have to snuggle up to me like that? Almost gave me a damned heart attack." He pointed at Saya. "At least Saya is embarrassed about it."

Rei shrugged. "I don't really know why you're upset. I mean... do you _not_ like waking up in the same bed as us?"

"That isn't the point Rei." Saya adjusted her glasses with one finger, her face still cheery red. "You shouldn't just drop all the norms as soon as things go to hell. I only got in the same bed with him because I didn't want to get stuck listening to Chubby snore." She glanced at Naruto. "Thanks for not being a perv."

Naruto nodded mutely. His eyes turned to Rei and Saeko. The later finally crossed her arms and stared him dead in the eye. "I like you Naruto. I'm not going to bother hiding it. I hope you can understand what I mean."

He sighed flicked his eyes over to Rei. "I'm guessing you're about to say the same thing..."

"You bet Naruto-kun. So... you're stuck with us."

Naruto raised his eyes to the ceiling as if seeking guidance from kami. "Fine... just don't think you can be pushing me around like you did before this stuff happened. I can't be constantly worrying about you two when I need to focus my mind on keeping us alive. Got it?"

Saeko nodded just once. It seemed no one needed to explain that to her. Rei on the other hand hesitated.

"Well… okay. When you put it like that I suppose I can retrain myself, but let it be known I do it under protest!"

Naruto allowed himself to relax then jumped at a loud ringing noise. Rei jumped in surprise as well. Saya quickly grabbed her bag, which was on the table. She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open.

"Hello!?"

The voice on the other end was too small to hear. Saya pressed a button to switch it to speaker mode. The voice was much louder now, but it still cracked badly over the connection.

"H..hello! Is this Sa..ya Takagi?!"

"Yes! Who is this and how did you get the signal to go through?!"

The voice came again. "I think most people have turned so there isn't as much traffic on the phone lines. Listen this is Hisashi from school. I'm on Shido-sensei's phone. He has all his student's numbers. I've been calling every number to try and find one that works. You're the first one to pick up!"

Saya locked eyes on Naruto even as she asked, "Where are you?"

"One of the storage rooms in the school. Where are you?"

Naruto shared looks with the girls and answered him. "Hey this is Naruto Uzumaki. I've got Saya, Rei, Saeko, Takashi, Kouta, and the school nurse Shizuka. We're all at my apartment. We took the school tour bus and got out yesterday."

Hisashi sounded morose. "That's… great." All four of them could hear loud sniffling in the background. "I guess that means you're all home free."

Rei's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait! Hisashi! Do you think we would just abandon you?!"

"You should. There's at least twenty of the them outside the door and the school is swarming with them. We don't have anything besides lame makeshift weapons... All of us are trapped. You should just forget we called. I can't ask you to risk your lives to save ours."

There was silence and Naruto looked up to see Takashi and Kouta moving from the bedroom. They both settled down on the couch with him. Naruto nodded to them then returned his attention to the phone. "We have plenty of supplies and I've got loads of weapons. We could come get you."

Hisashi seemed hesitant. "That would be great... but no. Don't take that gamble. We'll deal with what we can."

"Don't be an idiot. We wouldn't be human if we didn't try to help you. And I wouldn't be Naruto Uzumaki either. Whether you like it or not. I'm coming at least." He glanced around. "Who's with me?"

Rei, Saeko, Takashi, Kouta, and Saya all echoed, "I am!"

He grinned. "You hear the Hisashi?"

"Yes.. but you're all crazy."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now sit tight. We're on our way."

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto stood in the mini bus with Saeko, Rei, Saya, and Takashi. Kouta had elected to be left behind to keep an eye on the apartment. Shizuka was at the wheel again.

Takashi was rubbing his foot with a rather pained expression even as he looked to Naruto. "Are you sure about this. There was a shitload of those things outside the school remember. And a top of them were just outside."

"Don't worry about that. I have a plan to take care of them."

Saeko stared at him incredulously. "And that is?"

"Well you'll just have to wait and see. It doesn't involve you so there's no reason to explain. Suffice to say it involves a distraction. Now… Shizuka-chan. Can we get this thing moving?"

She nodded. "Right Naruto!"

Saya looked a bit frazzled now that the high of excitement had turned into anticipation of battle. She looked furtively at Naruto. "I can't help but notice that I'm the only one besides Shizuka who doesn't have combat skills... If you already have this figured out, why did you want me to come along?"

Naruto looked forward through the windshield as he spoke. "Game Theory."

"What's that?"

"It's simple Game Theory is the method of killing two birds with one stone. Masters of Game Theory live their lives in such a way that everything they do accomplishes more than one goal. Sometimes they lay intricate plans to allow them to finish multiple goals at once. You might not be able to fight... yet, but you are smart. And just because I look like I know everything doesn't mean I do. I've been here less than a year. There's still a lot of stuff I'm clueless about."

"That's true…"

"Besides, while we're on the way I can start training you. You have natural chakra so that is actually something I can really help you with."

She stepped forward to the front of the bus. "What do you mean by training?"

"Like I said before, chakra is a mix of your physical and mental energies... or spiritual if you want to call it that. So basically if you have chakra it means that you were born with the natural ability to manipulate it. Most of the time you would train from the age of eight or so to build up your chakra reserves."

"What are chakra reserves exactly?"

"Think of it like this. Your chakra reserves are like an allowance. You only have so much at any given time. And through training you can increase the amount you can hold. Right now you have a tiny allowance, but I have a huge one... in comparison to you. Basically you have to be physically healthy and mentally focused to use your money."

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder. He pushed a bit of chakra into her though the skin contact. Saya shivered slightly. "That's chakra... right?"

"Yep, so here's how the harnessing part works. Shinobi use hand signs to form their chakra in different ways. In my world there are sets of hand signs that are used to achieve particular effects. If they are done right and you mold your chakra correctly inside your body then it comes out as a jutsu."

"I guess I understand that. So the hand signs you use determine what your chakra reserves are spent on?"

"Uh huh. And usually the more hand signs there are in a row the more powerful the jutsu. It varies a lot, but most of the time the amount of chakra you have increases the fastest when you drain it dry over and over."

"Sort of like building muscle... So what happens if you use too much chakra?"

"Then you get chakra exhaustion." Naruto chuckled lightly as he remembered his fight with Sasuke at the Valley of the End. That hadn't been a pleasant recovery afterwards. "It's like being completely wiped, except it can happen instantly. If you use a jutsu that takes too much chakra it will either be diminished or it'll just fail, but if you force it then it can drain you to zero. My sensei had this ability... it was called Sharingan. A Doujutu. But it had a huge drain on his chakra. When he overused it he was laid up for a week."

They went still for a moment as Shizuka made a too sharp turn. Several thumps sounded as she ran over a few walking corpses. After a moment she asked, "What happens if you use all your chakra?"

Naruto's expression grew serious. "Usually you die... unless you have really potent chakra or you're physically strong enough to survive the after effects. Even if you reach absolute zero, your body will still produce chakra, but it won't be enough for you to survive. So your body will tear your chakra network apart to get more to keep you alive."

Saeko whistled. "Ouch."

"Best case scenario... you're out of it for a week and then super weak for a long while. Worst case scenario apart from dying... you're chakra network suffers sever damage and you are left on death's door permanently."

Saya had paled as he spoke. "But you shouldn't worry about it. You can easily tell if you're using too much chakra and I won't teach you any dangerous jutsu for a while."

She sighed, feeling somewhat relieved to hear that. She wasn't keen of dying from this 'chakra exhaustion' anymore than she was from being eaten. Well… maybe getting eaten was worse. She didn't really want to think about it. "So... can you teach me to walk on walls? That seems like an extremely useful jutsu."

"That Saya-chan isn't actually a jutsu. It doesn't need any hand signs so it's pure chakra manipulation. All it takes is good concentration. You just focus your chakra on the soles of your feet. If you get the amount just right you'll stick to any surface like glue. But before you do that I'll have to show you how to strengthen your body with chakra. Otherwise you'll try to walk up a wall and break an ankle when your weight takes you backwards."

Naruto pulled his hand away from her shoulder as Shizuka muttered, "Naruto... we're getting close to the school. What now?"

He pointed to the left side of the road. "Up there... park and we'll do the rest on foot. We go in and extract them. Then I'll make the distraction and we'll come right to the bus while the zombies are busy."

Rei licked her lips nervously as Shizuka slowed the bus down to a crawl. "You're not planning on being the distraction yourself are you?"

"And what if I am?"

He chuckled when he saw the horror stricken look on her face. "Relax. I'm planning on living a long long time. Don't worry about me."

Naruto clapped his hands together as Shizuka pulled over the bus and stopped "Okay everybody. No guns unless the shit hits the fan. Try to avoid killing any of them unless you can do it silently. Rei to my left. Saeko to my right. Takashi take the rear. Saya in the middle. Shizuka... stay here... and be really quiet."

The blond nodded and slouched in the driver's seat. "Okay... Good luck you guys."

Naruto nodded and they stepped out of the bus. He turned to Saeko. "Saeko-chan if we get the chance I'd like us to get in there really quick without too much risk. I'm going to use a really _expensive_ jutsu. There's a slight chance that it might backfire so.. if that does happen, I want you to grab me with Rei and get to a defensible position. Once I wake up it would take a half an hour for me to recover. Just so you know... got it?"

She inclined her head and drew a katana he'd given her. It was from his world, so without saying it was much better than any Katana she'd ever used. He smirked and turned down the street. He lowered his voice. "Right… in quick and silent. Let's go."

They arrived at the end of the block in no time and looked in though the open gate to the school. Naruto grimaced. Most of the student body was still there, ambling around deader than heck. He recognized a few faces but it didn't bother him nearly as much as it seemed to bother Rei and Takashi.

He whispered behind him. "Saya, turn your cell off for now."

She did so as he stepped out into view and made a hand sign.

With a popping sound like a single kernel of popcorn there was a second Naruto standing there. Naruto thought he heard them gasp in perfect sync. _"Nice ego boost..."_ He looked to his clone. His clone pumped his fist in the air and ran out into the mass of dead. When he was standing at the edge of the horde Naruto gave the thumbs up.

The clone grinned maniacally and activated Iruka sensei's patented "Big Head no jutsu"

"COME AND GET ME YOU BUNCH OF OVER ACTIVE DEAD HEADS! I'M RIGHT HERE SO COME ON!"

As one the mass of dead turned on the single clone. The clone whooped and jumped in the air, landing on the head of the nearest zombie. He used their heads like stepping stones and jumped from one to the next shouting his head off.

The real Naruto remembered a line from a movie he'd seen and gestured grandly. "Open... Sesame... "

Rei giggled as they ran forward, the zombies bunching together on the other side of the courtyard. Saya muttered something about him being insane. He ignored it, still grinning madly.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Hisashi looked up as he heard a shout from outside the school. He stood and darted to the wall. He put his ear to it just as there was another shout. The others in the room glanced up as they heard it.

"MISSED ME MISSED ME, NOW YOU GOT TO... _WOAH!_ NOT SO CLOSE THERE!"

They looked startled at the shout. Then Niki asked, "Who... who is it?"

Hiashi shook his head. "I don't know, but it sounds like Naruto and his friends really came for us. That was fast..." What he didn't say was that it was suicide. Unless he had firearms of some kind there was no way they could take down the creatures outside the door... there just wasn't any way they could do it...

Niki smiled. "I hope they get here soon."

Hisashi walked over and patted her on her head. "Yeah.. me too." _"God, you better get here and rescue us. I won't forgive you guys get yourselves killed over us."_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Saeko brought her blade to bear, shearing through the neck of the closest of three zombies. It was like cutting through jelly. The head dropped to the floor with a meaty smack. She quickly spun and decapitated another one as Naruto dealt a sharp blow to the nose of the third. The force of the blow sending shards of bone into the monster's brain, killing it instantly.

Two more wet thumps. Saeko marveled at the weapon clutched loosely in her left hand. "This blade is amazing Naruto... It's so sharp.. and at the same time durable. It cuts through bone without leaving a nick in the blade.

Naruto chuckled. "What do you expect? That is chakra laced steel. It's got wind chakra running up the edge. Just like everything here it's weakened. Normally it would cut though stone like nothing at all so even now bone is easy."

She smiled widely, her blue eyes flashing. "Can I take the lead?"

He mock bowed to her. "Ladies first."

Five minutes later, Naruto was starting to wonder if Saeko was even more bloodthirsty than he thought. She'd dispatched sixteen of them already and showed no signs of slowing. Naruto smirked as they turned the corner. Five of them were in the way. Saeko lashed out, taking the head from the first without any hesitation. Then Rei leaped forward. Her spear blew through the head of a second.

Naruto waded in though the middle. He ducked low and swept the three remaining ones of their feet. Three neat stabs with his kunai later and three more kills were added to his tally. He stopped as Saeko bent and retrieved a silver chain from the cleanly severed stump of her victim.

She buried her blade in the dead girl's ribcage and then used both hands to fasten the chain around her own neck. Naruto raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Takashi was a different matter. "Jeeze... I didn't realized we were looting jewelry from the dead now. I thought you were the daughter of a samurai."

Saeko rolled her eyes. "I am. There however are not the honored dead. Neither will I extent any rights to those who were once enemies."

"But they were students too."

She pulled her sword free of the girl/zombie with a slick sound. "Not anymore. besides... I like silver and she isn't exactly going to object."

Naruto glanced between Takashi and Saeko. "Listen Takashi. Some morals I will uphold. Like never leaving friends behind but respect for the dead has no place in a world where most of the corpses are trying to eat you." He pointed at the decapitated body. "If you see something you want or need. Take it. Anyway, let's get going."

Their group made their way through the halls of the school, pausing now and then to collect small things from the dead. They made good time though. Moving through the school was surprisingly easy once you had a way to handle the undead stragglers littering the halls. Saeko was in the lead again, showing the way to the next storage room. They'd already checked two. There were only two left so it wouldn't be much longer till they were done.

Naruto heard the groaning and pounding of the dead before they saw the hall where the next storage room happened to be located off of. It was jam packed with them. At least three dozen. Naruto frowned and warned the others back. He motioned them backwards to the end of the corridor.

Once they were thirty feet from the dead he whispered, "I'm not sure I want to take them on when their so packed together. I'm going to use another jutsu to clear them, but it might make a bit of noise and it takes a moment to get started. Saeko-chan, Rei-chan. Take them out if they get to close to me."

They nodded. Then looked surprised as he sat down on the hall floor. Saya hissed, "What are you doing?"

"This is a special technique I learned a few years ago. It's very powerful and kinda perfect for tightly packed groups like this."

He closed his eyes and brought his hands together in the sign that would let him gather nature chakra. _"One Rasengan should take them all out. Let's see if I can pull it off. Kurama... I need you to store up the sage mode chakra I'm gathering. Then funnel it back to me once I start it."_

 **"Understood."**

The three teens watched Naruto for five minutes... then ten. Rei whispered to Saeko even as she hefted her makeshift spear. "What is he doing?"

At that moment they all felt a slight stirring in the air around them. As though the air in the room were being funneled around Naruto. Abruptly Naruto pushed his hand out in front of himself palm upward. They watched in amazement as blue energy unspooled from Naruto's hand and then... pulled in upon its self.

The energy started to spin slowly then faster, quickly turning into a ball of whirling power. Saeko watched hypnotized as it grew larger till it was the size of a child's head. Naruto shifted and brought his hand over the other one. He started pumping his hands back and forth faster and faster, until the whole arm blurred over his palm.

They heard it... a barely audible whistling sound. It started to become louder, rising in volume, almost instantly become in a piercing shriek. Like a high note blown by a whistler of inexhaustible breath it keened, filling the hall with its eerie scream.

The tightly packed dead shifted, trying to turn on mass. They shuffled and jumbled in a vain attempt to move forwards. Only a few broke free. Saeko dashed forward with Rei and dropped four as the violent ball of power stabilized.

Naruto shouted, "Get back!"

Saeko and Rei retreated and Naruto took a step forward, his hand clutched around the sphere of spinning cutting chakra. He crouched and sent small amount of chakra throughout his body. His legs coiled like springs. _"GO!"_

"RASENGAN!"

The door to the Storage room disintegrated in a flash of blinding blue light. A blast like a horizontal hurricane slammed down the outside corridor with a screaming roar. The spiraling energy carved so deeply into the hallway wall that it cut though and into the storage room.

Then an earth shaking BOOM! crashed though the building. Then... silence.

Saeko, Rei, Saya, and Takashi looked on in disbelief. Naruto stood there in the hall and in front of him... a crater that almost breached the floor and ceiling. And after that a furrow of concrete and tile that stretched across the entire length of the hallway. A nine foot hole in the opposite wall showed where his attack ended.

The dead? Gone. Not even pieces of them remained.

Rei spoke first, saying what was on everyone else's minds. "Holy shit..."

Takashi and Say agreed. Saeko just nodded.

A second later Naruto shouted again. "Hey you guys! It's safe to come out now. They're gone!"

The first thing he saw was a girl's head poking out of the... Well it wasn't really a doorway anymore. It was more like a crater-way. She had light orange hair, short and held back with a head band. Naruto saw her eyes were an uncommon yellow.

Then she was stepping around the crater and running to him. Naruto found himself being "slightly less" than crushed in what she probably thought was a bear hug. And to anyone who hadn't experience the embrace of a Green Beast from Konoah... it would have been pretty tight. But to Naruto it almost felt like she was being gentle.

"Thanks, but I'm kinda wiped after that. Would you mind letting go?"

She nodded and smiled. "You're Naruto right?"

He nodded again as he saw a few students leave the room behind her. There was Shido, Hisashi, and a boy Naruto recognized as Yamada. Last there was another girl who looked to be from the first year. The girl who had hugged him stepped back and glanced between him and the rest of the rescuers. Her eyes fell on Saya and a small frown distorted her features.

Naruto wasn't paying attention. He grinned at Hisashi as the boy stopping in front of him. Hisashi smiled back. "I guess this is where I say thanks for saving out asses."

That caused Naruto to chuckled, "Don't mention it. Seriously my hero complex is bad enough. I hope you're all right now. We've still got to get out of this place now."

"Understood." He glanced back at the corridor as if asking, _"What the hell is that though?"_

Naruto said bluntly, "I'll tell you later."

Naruto heard a slapping sound from behind him. He whirled around to see Rei pulling her hand back from Shido's reddened cheek. She spat, "Why, of all the teachers to survive this shit!? Why does it have to be you?!"

Shido pushed his glasses back into place. "I'm sure that neither of us are happy with the situation but we still need to escape this place."

Rei looked furious. "I should find the nearest corpse and give to a hard shove in its general direction! You don't deserve saving you bastard."

The teacher adjusted his glasses with a casual gesture, not seeming all that impressed by her display of anger. "You should calm yourself before you attract unnecessary attention. It's not wise to make so much noise."

Naruto shared a look with Hisashi and walked over. "Excuse me, but could we break this up? My clone is only going to keep them occupied outside for so long. The way is clear so let's go. Whatever grudge you two have we can work it out back at my place."

Rei flashed him an angry glare. "Fine, but as soon as we get back we deal with.. him." She turned away muttering.

Naruto didn't know what to make of her sudden outburst. He decided that it didn't matter at the moment. They needed to get out of her and they needed to do it fast. Lingering would only bring more of the dead for them to cut down. And making a shadow clone and then using Rasengan... while maintaining the clone... It had put a dent in his chakra despite using nature chakra to power the jutsu.

Naruto quickly organized them and got the train moving again.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto's clone had stopped shouting. Now he was too busy killing. He was covered in blood, and more than a little had found its way into his eyes and mouth. Some was even in his ears, blocking out his hearing. It was vile in all respects.

He spat and spun, swinging his heel around to knock yet another corpse away. The sharp crack of bone was music to his plugged ears. "BASTARDS AREN'T GOING TO CATCH ME!" He leapt into the air, hands grabbing into the hair of the nearest two zombies.

CRACK!

Their heads snapped together with a dull crunch. He pushed down hard, using the force to do a back flip over several ranks of dead. Their faces didn't follow his movements. The sound of cracking heads drew their attention away from the silent assassin among them.

He landed in a relatively clear patch and drew his two kunai. _"Aim for the eyes, straight through to the brain. They go down without the crack. Alerts a lot less of them... but at the same time you have to worry about them grabbing you... they're not as strong as me but for a normal human they'd be way to powerful."_

The clone frowned as he plunged his kunai through two separate eye sockets. Then drew back. To soft thumps made a few of the dead turn around. He sighed. _That's 78... 79... I wonder if I can get to a hundred before boss gets back..."_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

The main doors to the school opened wide and ten people rushed out. Immediately their gazes were drawn to the horde of undead... now significantly diminished in size.

Hisashi gaped. "What the hell? Is that an identical twin or something? He's even dressed like you."

"I'll explain later. Let's get to the bus." They nodded and Naruto jumped up and down, drawing the attention of his clone.

The copy shouted once to fix the dead's attention. Then he leaped straight up and over them, landing... panting hard, in front of Naruto. "They're distracted. You can make a clean break."

Naruto nodded. "Listen. I want you to follow after the bus when we leave. Kill anything that follows us. Then once you're done with that hunt down everything you can until you run out of chakra."

His clone stood and nodded back. "You got it boss."

 **ooo**

Shizuka looked up as the door to the mini bus opened and the group of survivors piled in. Saeko cleaned the blood off her blade with a scarf taken from one of the dead. She tossed it to Rei as the doors closed and Shizuka started the bus.

The engine growled to life and she turned it around in the street, heading back the way they came.

Naruto dropped into a seat alongside Saeko. Rei sat across from him with Saya. Takashi sat in the seat next to Shizuka and helped to keep an eye on the road. The blond's gaze turned to the new additions to the group. Yuuki sat next to Yamada. Her eyes were focused outside the bus. Hisashi stood looking at Naruto, as if trying to figure out some complex puzzle.

However... it was Shido to speak first. He stepped forward with what he probably thought was a benevolent smile. "Well... Uzumaki-kun. Let me thank you on behalf of all of us. We'd be dead if it weren't for you... but I must ask. Who is the leader of your little group?"

Naruto thought he heard something... wrong... with the question. Or perhaps is was the way it was asked. He scowled. "That's me, thanks."

Shido raised one eyebrow. "But you are just a boy, regardless how skilled you are..."

There was a moment of silence where glanced at Rei. He was already starting to see why she hated the guy. _"I see where this guy is going. He's got some sort of superiority complex..."_ Naruto decided to put his foot down. "You look at me like I'm a child but I'm the only one here who's killed someone with my bare hands... and I'm not talking about a walking corpse. I'm also the only one who's part of a military group. I have more experience than ten of you Shido… if _that's_ what you're getting at."

He leaned back. "Besides, what would a math teacher know about surviving the apocalypse?" Naruto looked him in the eye. "So you can forget about having any control over us. We won't buy your shit."

Shido looked like he'd been slapped. Hisashi glanced between them. "So... you're part of the Special Defense Force?"

"Do I look like I'm part of that lame bunch of idiots? You're smart Hisashi. You saw what I did in the hall. I'm not part of this world. I already explained that to them."

He blinked. "Not part of this world...?"

Naruto sighed and started explaining...again. Ten minutes later the new arrivals looked suitably shocked.

Hisashi took a while to digest the information, but he was the first to ask the obvious question. "So... how did you get stuck here?"

"Well… There's this one clan from my world. They're kinda notorious for getting bad eggs. Once they reach a certain level they gain a special ability. It varies widely from person to person. I was fighting one of them who had the ability to suck people in other dimensions. I would have been trapped inside his personal funhouse... except I managed to kill the bastard just as he was dragging me in." He shrugged. "Now I'm here. I figure that this must be a completely different world from my own, which is why you have all these weird rules. Stuff that we just ignore in my world. Like gravity. I can walk up walls like nothing at all."

Takashi nodded. "I've seen him do it."

From behind Hisashi, Niki asked, "You can walk up walls? That's so cool…"

"So... I can accept that you're from another world... After you took out a couple dozen of them with one attack.., but something doesn't make sense."

Naruto tilted his head. "Why do I speak Japanese?" There was a pause and everyone looked at Naruto. He shrugged again. "No clue. Why don't you ask me something easy? Like... What's the meaning of life... or why are the dead walking around."

Takashi spoke then... but he wasn't adding to the conversation. "Uh... guys... We got problems."

Everyone turned to look out the front windshield. The street was swarming with them. Naruto cursed. There were at least two hundred and they weren't even five blocks from Naruto's apartment. And as they watched it seemed like their numbers were increasing. Naruto looked up the street and saw a huge mass of tightly packed dead moving towards them, still nine or ten blocks out.

He focused on the dead immediately in front of them. His mind working over the statistics. _"Ok... Saeko and Rei are both in good condition still. Takashi is fine too despite his foot being cut. Saya said she can use a pistol if not a large rifle. I've got two heavily silence handguns, but they're still only good for about ten shots a piece. Then they start booming again..."_

 _"I'm sure Hisashi can fight, even though he looks tired. I can unseal Kubikiribōchō and take out a ton of them, but I have to use chakra enhancement to use that blade. If my clone catches up then that would be both of us..."_ He frowned... _"If all of us that can fight... do as much damage as we can and work as a team… we could take out even this huge group. But what are the chances that one of us gets pinned down?"_

Naruto turned back to them. "Shizuka. Back up a block and park. Everyone who can fight well needs to get equipped for silent killing. I'll carve a path ahead with my clone. Saeko and Rei along with Hisashi can hold the sides. Takashi can then bring in the rest of you behind."

Yamada looked pale. "Are you insane? There's no way you can kill so many! And even if we got in then we'd just be trapped inside!"

"We will get inside. Remember we still have someone in the apartment. I'm not leaving him behind. Besides I have weeks of rations up there. Do you really want to leave all those supplies behind? Now I've fought more fights than all of you combined... a lot more. So listen to what I say and we'll get out of here alive."

With that he pulled his sleeve back on his jacket and jolted the seal on his wrist, whispering the name of his third favorite weapon. _"Kubikiribōchō..."_ In a flash of light he was holding the massive blade point downwards. It was as tall as he was, the pommel rising almost a foot above his head. "We wait for my clone. Then we go out."

He pulled out a small scroll from his back pouch and opened it. A second later he handed a medium length Katana to Takashi. Then he activated another seal and pulled out the two silence pistols and a broad bladed sword.

He handed these to Saya. "The guns are silent for at least eight shots each. Once they start getting too loud switch to the sword. Aim for the throat just like Saeko was earlier. The blade is a lot sharper than it looks so be careful."

She took them carefully, a question already leaving her lips. "How much equipment can you fit in that?"

Naruto drew his thumb over another seal and handed the corresponding weapons to Hisashi who took them. Two shorter kukri like blades, perfect for severing heads. Naruto answered Saya distractedly. "This one has twenty seven seals. With a maximum of fifteen pounds to each seal. But I've got much bigger storage scrolls in the apartment..."

He looked at Hisashi then remembered. He stowed the first scroll ad brought out his personal quick use scroll. He sorted through it till he came up with a pair of combat gloves. They had hard backed plastic along the back and the knuckles were reinforced with metal bands and four dulled spikes. He tossed them to Hisashi. "I just remembered you do karate. Those should work pretty nice if you have to go hand to hand with those things."

Hisashi was surprised by his observation but pulled them on without a second thought.

A moment later they heard footsteps as someone ran along the side of the bus. Then a blond head, quite matted with blood poked inside. "Hey boss... I think you might need some help with that bunch. Are we both using Zabuza's blade?"

"Yeah... and do your best to keep the blade at head height the whole time. It might be sharp but we can't always just chop though the whole body. Besides you have to destroy the head to kill the damn things."

His clone grinned lopsidedly. "I just wish battles back home were this easy. What I wouldn't give for all our opponents we fought to have been walking corpses."

"Where's the fun in that?"

The clone looked pensive for a moment. "Guess you're right boss. But you know who'd be really useful here?"

"Uh... the Fourth Hokage? This would be a piece of cake if I could do Hirashin or something like it... Hell, if I could just do Shadow clones like normal..."

Saeko stalked over to him. Her eyes were focused on the clone as she asked, "So that's a clone of you... something you made out of chakra?"

The clone smirked. "That's exactly what I am. But I'm not exactly the same ya know. If anything hits me hard enough I go pop and disappear. So I have to be real careful not to get dispelled. Also... anything I learn while I'm alive boss instantly learns when I dispel."

Saya watched the clone. "So... what do you mean by how you would normally use them?"

Naruto explained. "Well remember when I told you how weakened I am right now? Usually I could make enough clones to fight those things two to one."

Takashi's eyes widened. "No way..."

Saeko looked like she was trying to imagine a few hundred copies of Naruto. A thought popped into her head and her cheeks went slightly pink. Naruto and his clone both looked at her at the same moment. The clone rubbed his nose with the back of his hand smirking.

The samurai girl noticed the look and her cheeks flushed red. Naruto looked away. _"Damn nose..."_ He shook his head and tried to focus his attention back on the rest of the group. "Alright. Are you all ready?"

They nodded and Takashi gritted his teeth. Naruto tilted Kubikiribōchō and hopped out onto the street. His clone stood beside him. A moment later the rest of the group filed out onto the asphalt behind them. Ahead... the mass of zombies trudged back and forth, trying to catch the sound of a quick meal.

Naruto glanced back at them and grinned. "Let's raise hell... but do it _quietly_."

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **How does everyone like this chapter? Huh? Pretty tight?**

 **Yeah I know, getting the silent treatment here. But I had a question for all you readers. And yes this is a hint. What clan do you guys think Saya is related to?**

 **I'm interested to see what you guys and girls come up with. And remember... REVIEW!**


	7. 6 Training and the Dead

**(6/21/18)**

 **It's been a bit longer doing this chapter than I thought, but I was having a lot of my attention draw to rewriting one of my stalled stories (Blessing in Disguise) Regardless, here is the next chapter for everyone! And before anyone asks, no the lemon won't be for a few chapters still. I keep getting people asking when it's coming...but there's still a bit of plot and character development left to do before any of that happens!**

 **(I don't own any part of Naruto or HOTD)**

 ** _Chapter 6_**

 _Training and the Dead_

 _ **Ooo**_

 _ **Ooo**_

Battle was joined. Living against dead. Steel against flesh.

Kurama gazed out, seeing the frantic fighting through Naruto's eyes. The great fox growled and settled down. His breath caused ripples to flow out over the thin layer of water that covered the floor. He disliked the cage. It was an uncomfortable reminder of his imprisonment.

Yet… at the moment it didn't concern him. No. What concerned him right now was shift he'd felt not more than a few seconds before. His fur rose as a shiver ran down his spine. _**"Grrr... What was that...?"**_ His red eyes drew inward as he focused his mind outward, not through Naruto's eyes, but through the natural energy all around. What he found... surprised him. The mighty fox opened his eyes fractionally... _**"Yes... this is good..."**_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Outside in the heat of combat Naruto was the first to feel it... a burst of strength that caused him to over compensate for Kubikiribōchō's weight. The massive blade dipped downwards cutting through three bodies before he righted himself. Ten feet away from him his clone felt it as a whiplash turning him into a plume of white smoke.

The memories rushed in but not the exhaustion. Naruto's eyes widened as his chakra surged, the unexpected shift throwing him off balance once more. The Executioner's blade flew from his hand and cut a swath through the dead before burying its self in the side of a building.

Naruto heard Saeko shout something and he turned... just in time to see her blade cut diagonally across the torso of her opponent. The zombie fell in two pieces, cleaved through. Blood splattered across the street in a crimson sheet.

Saeko looked up and caught his eye. She looked disbelieving. Naruto realized what had happened. The chakra enhanced steel had just become sharper. And that could only mean one thing...

Kurama's voice sounded in his ear. **_"Naruto... something has shifted... The balance has tipped slightly."_**

 _"Yeah! I felt it. Like..."_

 ** _"Yes... I'm sending more chakra to you. Whatever happened I'm able to draw more freely from the nature energy around us. Still... don't be reckless."_**

 _"Don't need to tell me twice, but I think I can splurge a bit!"_

Naruto grinned hugely and brought his hands together. In a flash of white smoke there were three more clones. They drew steel and charged into the mass of dead. Naruto held back and whipped out his quick use scroll. He opened it and pulled out a stack of shuriken.

He stowed the scroll and then began hurling the deadly stars with deadly velocity, sharpening each one with a hint of wind chakra. They zinged off, sometimes going through five or six enemies before imbedding themselves in the stone walls of nearby buildings. _"This is more like it!"_

Meanwhile, as Naruto was starting to desimate the zombie horde for a distance, Saeko was dancing through a whirling kada. She didn't feel the need for defense at all. The blade in her hands had become like a razor. It sheared though flesh and bone so easily that she had to compensate for the extreme ease of penetration.

She couldn't help but smile as yet another foe, a tall lanky man, lunged for her. She sidestepped and did a 720 spin. Her blade came around not once but three times, hacking him into fifths. It delighted her to be able to indulge in a slaughter... almost like video game in its ease. Her eyes caught Naruto as he flung four pronged ninja stars through the heads of his own enemies.

Her eyes widened as she saw three others, all dressed identically, slashing a bloody path through the dead. It was amazing to watch. The six foot blade of Kubikiribōchō took three of even four zombies in a single stroke. She turned back to her own slaughter and dashed forward to cleave another man in two, the riven pieces falling to either side.

 _"I... like..."_

On Naruto's other side Saya stopped as she saw the blond lose his grip on his massive sword. It went flying though the hoard, cutting them to ribbons without even slowing. At the same time she experienced a... lightening. It was as though she'd just shrugged off a large backpack.

The sword in her hand felt lighter as she swung for the neck of the next walking corpse. She missed and the wide blade passed by one ear and out the other. The skull didn't seem to hinder its progress. Saya gaped at the blade and the zombie. It toppled to the ground, its brain exposed in gruesome detail. She felt the urge to wretch but forced it down.

Beside her Rei grinned, feeling her blood rising more than a little bit herself. "Nice one... remind me not to get in an arm wrestling match with you."

Saya didn't answer. Instead she stepped forward to decapitate another creature as it moved to attack Rei's unprotected back. Her eyes focused on it as it fell. Then her gaze snapped to the next target. Saya let instincts take over and flung herself at the next attacker.

 **Ooo**

The bloody slaughter lasted nearly half an hour. With the additions of a few clones the speed with which Naruto decimated the ranks of the dead was astonishing. Despite that though… he was still tiring. He decided to let his clones take care of all the zombies they could find before dispersing.

Sealing away Kubikiribōchō he turned into the entrance of the apartment building. Behind him the group of survivors from the school filed towards him. No dead walked on the street around them now. Instead they lay strew about, some in piles, all across the street. Naruto grinned as Hisashi hurried the rest of them into the building. Not long after he was followed by Rei and Saya.

He nodded to Takashi who came in last. Takashi darted into the building as Naruto looked around… puzzled by something. It took a full minute before he realized that hadn't a certain had disappeared without a trace. Naruto cursed and shut the door, unsealing Kubikiribōchō again as he dashed out into the street.

He looked around, but saw no hint of dark blue hair. Taking a quick left he made another clone to go the other way. At the same time he gave his other clones the order to look for Saeko. She wasn't with the others.. and she…

Naruto received a burst of information from the clone he sent behind him. He whirled around and sprinted down the street. Turning the corner Naruto saw Saeko walking towards him. She was cleaning her blade with a piece of shirt. As he stopped she glanced up at him, her lips quirking upwards in a sly grin.

After a moment she dropped the shirt and sheathed the sword. He sighed as she paused in front of him. "Well Naruto-kun? Are the others inside yet?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I came out to look for you when I didn't see you." He sealed Kubikiribōchō and breathed out. "Gave me a bit of a scare. I thought I'd find you in the middle of another mass of those things."

She raised an eyebrow. "Actually I was just wasting time while the others went inside. I knew you would come back out to look for me."

Naruto didn't really know what to say to that. "Why?"

Saeko stepped in close. "Well… I knew that it would be crowded up there now. I wanted to speak to you alone for a moment."

Naruto hesitated. The blood that covered him and Saeko blocked out his sense of smell… but her face was flushed. And besides that… something in what she said struck a memory. He glanced away. "You aren't talking about the…"

"Yes… I am. I told you I would be honest with my feelings. And I wanted to speak to you alone. Rei would be in the way."

He took a step back. "Maybe we should go in? They're probably waiting for us…"

A hand stopped him, fingers curling around the neck of his shirt. Saeko shook her head once before she stepped in close again. She brought her face to his, inches apart and asked, "So you do not find me attractive? I thought you…?"

"It's not that! It's just that right now isn't the time!"

Saeko stopped him and used a finger to wipe a line of blood from his cheek. She smiled. "If not now then when? When Rei kisses you in front of everyone? Or when you decide you like one of the others better? I refuse to take that chance. I feel _alive_ right now… Deal with it." She pushed forward and brushed his lips with her own.

Naruto's looked into her blue eyes and inhaled her scent. It was overpowering the gore that surrounded them. Then she twined her arms around his neck and kissed him, hungrily, pushing her tongue past and into his mouth. He felt blood being drawn in opposite directions. Some to his head… and the rest of it… lower. He couldn't help it. Only a second passed before his arms drew her in closer as he returned the kiss.

He closed his eyes, letting his hands wander where they would. Before he even realized it he was unconsciously drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra, causing the minor henge hiding some of his features to drop. He didn't notice. His hands were busy running up the small of her back scratching her through the shirt she wore.

Minutes passed before Saeko, desperate for air, broke the kiss and pulled back slightly. What she found saw was different than what it had been the last time she'd looks. Naruto's eyes had darkened to a hard blue a few shades darker than her own and his pupils had somehow thinned to slits. It gave him an incredibly exotic look. One that was only enhanced by his whisker marks, which had thickened as well. Then… as he drew in a breath… she saw long canines. She didn't know what to think. She stared at him for few seconds, trying to get her bearings.

"Naruto…what just happ..?!"

He cut her off, kissing her again. This time he deepened it almost immediately. It didn't take long for her to push thoughts of his new features to the back of her mind. She let her eyes drift closed as his hands… his fingers… slipped around her waist. Sharp points scrapped across her belly setting off a shudder. She shifted, trying to mold against him. He allowed her to move, but drew back slightly. His breath was ragged… matching her own now.

Naruto growled low in his throat. "Sorry… I can't control myself sometimes… You shouldn't set me off…"

Saeko leaned her forehead on his, meeting his eyes steadily. "I… didn't think you would be…"

"Forceful?"

She purred. "Aggressive…" Saeko caught her breath again. "Was that your first kiss?"

He chuckled. "Here I guess. I've had a few back in my world… so I suppose not."

"It was my first…. and second. Perhaps you'd be interested in a third?" She nuzzled him with her nose attempting to initiate another heated kiss. Naruto forced his heart to slow down. It was very hard with her still pressed against him. He wanted nothing more at the moment then to fulfill that request.

"The others will be waiting… We should go."

She brushed her fingers over his back, around his shoulders, and under his chin. "You sure? I could really do with another one. If you don't mind…"

Naruto let out a long sigh and gave in. If he was honest with himself he wanted to kiss her again anyway. Minds as well do it here… Their lips met again as he disengaged his body from hers. When they parted again her cheeks were a dark crimson and his nose was filled with the scent of arousal.

"Naruto… again please…?" Saeko all but clawed at his shirt, trying to drag him back. He let her. One hand slipped around to the back of her neck while the other fell to her side. She gasped at the sharp points, her eyes falling down to his hands. Naruto pulled her into him again, kissing her hard. His eyes closed even as her scent spiked. Her heart beat loud in his own ears synchronizing with his own.

He let his hands wander over her again, touching of little moans which threatened to break the kiss. Saeko squirmed, starting as she felt one claw drag slowly up the small of her back. She shivered and they parted.

Now reluctant Naruto stepped back. He _really_ wanted to continue, but this wasn't the time or place to do it. Sakeo seemed to have come to the same conclusion as she glanced around. Somehow during their making out the lumbering footsteps of the dead had gone unnoticed. Naruto followed Saeko's gaze to where a dozen or so zombies shambled in their general direction. They hadn't been making quite enough noise for them to pinpoint their location, but they had heard none the less.

Saeko drew her blade and turned. It was at that moment that Naruto felt a burst of memories and emotions. He spun around to look behind him. Saeko was about to engage when he grabbed her by the shoulder. He turned her around. "Saeko one of my clones found two survivors. We need to hurry."

Her eyes flashed in recognition as he nodded to her sword. She quickly sheathed it and let him pick her up. He growled, "Hold on tight."

She grinned as he swiveled and sent chakra to his legs. A small crater appeared in the street as he launched himself down the road.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Rei glared across the room, eyes blazing with something akin to hate. Her hands gripped her blade with enough force to turn her knuckles white and her jaw was set hard, making her teeth ache.

Across the apartment was Shido. He spoke with Hisashi and a few others. As soon as he'd entered the apartment he'd started talking about responsibility, maturity, and _leadership._ His honeyed words were setting her on edge. Beside her on the couch Saya had a distasteful look on her face.

They both were agitated by Shido's manner. It was like he hadn't heard Naruto call him out. Either that or he was stupid enough to ignore the blond. Saya muttered, "Naruto's going to rip him a new one when he hears that Shido's trying to break away from the rest of us. Especially since he wants to drag Shizuka-sensei along.

Rei nodded curtly. But if Naruto didn't get back soon _she_ would be the one dealing out punishment to the sly man.

 **Ooo**

Shido gestured to the group as he spoke. "You see, I have just as much experience with disaster as anyone here. I can lead the way out of this situation _safely_ and _securely._ He pushed his glasses up on his nose with one finger. "And I can do it much easier than someone who supposedly isn't even from here."

Hisashi's eyes narrowed. "Naruto is the only one with any experience in this sort of thing. He even has magic… or whatever he calls it. How can you say he can't protect us when he can make corporeal copies of himself?"

Shido smiled winningly. "Simple really. Naruto isn't one of _us_. He's not just a foreigner to this country. He's a foreigner to this world. We can't trust that he has our best interests at heart. He is probably going to leave us the first time it inconveniences him."

He turned around as if displaying the room to them. "Look around. He has no attachments to this place. Even the room where he's lived for the last how many months or years… and he has little if any connection. He has food and he has money and he doesn't seem to care for much of anything else."

Shizuka scratched her chin thoughtfully. "He seems to care for us. He wouldn't have rescued us if he didn't… I think."

Yamada looked around the room. He seemed hesitant. "I don't really feel safe around here. I mean, he did save us but is he even human? What if he's only got the form of a man… If he can make copies of himself.. maybe he can completely change the way he looks."

Shido nodded, building on Yamada's paranoid suggestion. "Exactly. We have no idea what his motivation for saving us is. For all we know he's planning on absorbing the life energy from our bodies. We don't know what is possible! And he's already shown us that he isn't afraid of slaughter..." He gestured to himself. "I wouldn't stand a chance against him. So why would I put myself at the mercy of some _thing_ that might be as dangerous as the walking dead? That is why I'm urging all of you to leave with me while we have the chance."

Niki twiddled her fingers, obviously unsure about his reasoning. "But.. what about Saeko-sempai? She's still out there with him. If he is… a bad person… she'd be in danger."

Shido put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Listen to me. She has already become far too enamored of him. I doubt she would listen to reason even if we offered. Now we shoul…."

Shido was interrupted by Takashi. "So… This is what you call reason huh? You're being stupid right now. You keep trying to convince us to leave, but the only ones who would willingly follow you are the same people who can't defend themselves. You can't fight any better than me and I'm not even eighteen." They glanced at each other nervously as Takashi continued. "Naruto hasn't done anything to earn our distrust. I'm just glad that he was kind enough to help us. The fact that he isn't from this world should only prove that he's a good guy."

Hisashi agreed. "Naruto returned to save us… including you sensei. I think we should put a little faith in him. After all we might be struggling just to find food if it weren't for him. Seeing as all the stores are probably filled with _them._ "

Yuuki bit her lip and glanced between Shido and the other two boys. "I like Naruto. He saved our lives back there. We would be dead…. I'm staying."

Yamada sighed. "I agree with Takashi and Hisashi-sempai. I'll trust Naruto as well.

A moment passed and Shizuka rubbed the back of her head. "I'm with Naruto… so I guess no one is leaving."

Shido hid his disappointment well. "Just remember what I said. Don't follow that boy blindly. I'll stay to make sure nothing _bad_ happens."

 **Ooo**

Saya leaned over slightly to whisper to Rei. "I think Shido is going to try to pull something. He obviously wants to split the group. We'll take turns keeping an eye on him."

Rei nodded fractionally. "I think you should suggest posting a guard… you know, for safety. That way Shido can't go sneaking around at night."

"We'll still have to watch him. You know the first thing he's going to do is volunteer."

Rei looked unsure for a moment. "I just wish Naruto would come back already. I feel a bit lost when he isn't here."

The pinket blinked. "You do realize just how sappy that just sounded? You're a total fangirl." Saya didn't mention that fact that she felt much safer herself with Naruto. But that was less having feelings for him and much more the fact that she'd seen him obliterate a horde of undead and barely break a sweat. Plus she was still very curious about what kind of powers she had.

And Naruto was the only one who could show her… unless there was somehow more of his kind stuck in their world. But from what he said, he could sense when someone had power and she was one of only two… Saya wondered absently who the second one was.

An itch around her eyes caused her to rub at them with the back of her hand. Rei glanced at her. "Something wrong with your eyes?"

Saya grimaced. "My contacts have something under them or something like that. I'll have to switch back to glasses pretty soon or I won't be able to see."

"You do have glasses with you… right?"

"Well duh! Of course I would bring my glasses with me. Contacts get damaged too easy and I don't have any lens solution in my locker at school."

Rei eyed her thoughtfully. "Naruto could probably get you some if you asked. He's resourceful like that."

One eyebrow rose. "Really? Of all the useful things I could ask him for I don't think I would choose that. It's not like I have replacement lenses with me either."

They sat for a moment, watching as the group around Shido dispersed. The man no longer looked smug, but his eyes were darting around with an intensity both girls found unnerving. Both wondered how long it would be before he tried to manipulate the situation again. As they watched he walked over to Shizuka.

"So… I heard that Naruto rented both of the top floors. What does he keep up there? Anything useful for when we get moving again?"

Shizuka put her finger to her chin. "Um….. yes, but he doesn't really like us going up there without him. Takashi cut his foot open the other day." She turned to look at Takashi. "Speaking of which… how is it today?"

"It's fine. The walk through the school hurt a bit but it's healing faster than I thought it would."

"That's good to hear." Shido smirked. "How were you injured? Did you get caught on a trap of some kind?"

Takashi shook his head. "Nah… just stepped on something sharp. Naruto kinda has a weapons obsession if you haven't noticed."

Shido's smile put foxes to shame. "I think I will check the upstairs then."

Rei was on her feet before she realized it, her blade in hand and aimed for Shido's throat. "Try it ass hole. I know what your game is. No one beside the original group goes upstairs until Naruto gets back. That goes triple for you."

He put his hands in the air. "My apologies, but what have I done to earn your ire?"

Her eyes dilated. "Wrong question dipshit. If I need to explain to you what you did then you're _clearly_ too stupid to survive and need to be put out of our misery."

Shido looked down the blade at her. Sweat was beginning to break out on his brow. "O…okay. I understand. Uzumaki-kun's room is private. I won't go near it."

She drew back, sheathing the sword. "Just make sure to remember. I'm keeping an eye on you." Rei turned and fell back onto the couch cursing under her breath.

"Are you okay?" Saya nudged her with her elbow. "True that seemed a bit out of the blue, but you didn't have to nick his throat for it."

Rei didn't answer. Instead she crossed her arms. Just as she said, she kept her eyes pinned on Shido, her gaze explaining the situation for her. This world no longer had rules and she didn't have to put up with his presence if she didn't want to.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Naruto slashed opened the zombie seconds after it was about to bite into her throat. The creature reeled from the blow, but didn't die. It's head and brain were still intact and therefore.. it was still dangerous.

He darted forward and grabbed the girl. She was young and terrified. Naruto's eyes cast to the side where he already saw the corpse of her father. His clone had done all it could, but… like all things in life, accidents happened. His clone had been cutting through the column of zombies only to get grabbed around the legs by one that he assumed had been slain. And then as fast as he could react he was mobbed. He'd gone but sent his memories straight to the original…

Naruto was too late to save the older man. He was already starting to rise.

"Saeko! Take her! I'll finish these guys off!"

The blue haired Samurai dashed forward her, blade cutting through the air, taking heads as she went. Naruto gathered his chakra and turned to face the zombies. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" He pumped enough energy into the blast of wind to knock all the zombies flying away from Saeko's path. Then the girl was flung over her shoulder in a fireman's carry.

Saeko nodded to him. "Come back soon."

"Will do." He grinned back at her, still slightly worried. Saeko was certainly able to handle herself but it was just in his nature to worry about his friends. Naruto watched her take off in the direction of his apartment. He turned back to the dead.

A second later he was fishing out two long Katanas. Kubikiribōchō was just too heavy to sling around constantly when he could go for lighter blades. And besides… The thirsty weapon had feasted on far more blood than it had in years. Foul polluted blood to be sure… but to it blood was most defiantly blood.

Naruto felt the grips of his twin blades. After sleeping over with Tenten once, he'd picked up a bit of her obsession with weapons. That being said he was more of a blade man. Tenten on the other hand didn't care as long as it had a handle and could kill things. These two weapons were in fact gifts from Tenten. Both had dark orange sheaths, but as much as that made him admire them, it was their blades that were truly special. Marvels of craftsmanship each blade had been specially made to support as many seals as possible…

He grinned and sealed the sheathes away. Then he activated one of the many seals over the edges of the two swords. Naruto tossed the swords in the air… where they were caught by two clones. Naruto nodded to the clones to go all out. They didn't have a lot of chakra so they would make the most of it before dispelling.

Naruto turned and ran after Saeko, hearing his copies making hell behind him.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Saya rubbed at her eyes… again. Her vision was a lot more blurry than it usually was. "Damn contacts…" she muttered to herself. Glancing over to Rei she wasn't too surprised to see that her fellow survivor was glaring at Shido

 _"I wonder what the problem with those two is. Probably just some bad blood between the families. Her dad is a police officer if I remember correctly… and Shido's dad was notorious corrupt politician. Makes sense they wouldn't like each other, but her openly threatening to kill him is a bit much…"_

Saya grumbled to herself and stood, heading to the bathroom. She'd told Rei that she had her glasses...and it was true, but she didn't actually have them "with" her. But it didn't matter, she was bound to be blind sooner or later. Hopefully they could stop by a store that sold used prescription eyeglasses and find a pair that worked…. Other wise she didn't know how she'd manage to keep up with everyone else.

She flicked on the lights to the bathroom and examined her blurry reflection in the mirror. Her pink hair was frazzled. No surprises there. Her face, already absent of makeup, was not looking well rested despite getting a full night's sleep. Other than that she still had some blood on her… well, more than some. A lot was a better description. But seeing how none of them had turned yet, she assumed that they couldn't get infected through skin contact with the infected.

That was good to know but she knew there were limits. If they somehow got blood in their eyes then whatever contagion might be absorbed through the permeable layer of skin under the eyelid…and the tear ducts. She didn't know whether it would hurt them to ingest the blood… There was a good chance it could… but you never could quite tell how these things worked. Certainly you'd be screwed if blood managed to get in an open cut or wound… It would be the same as being bitten.

So with all that in mind… they were in a pretty good position, as long as Naruto stayed in tip top shape. He could handle himself against anything it seemed. She wondered how useful she could be when she couldn't see ten feet in front of herself. _"Not very threatening… that's for sure. Run! the blind girl with the pink hair is attacking. I'm more likely to get bitten trying to fight a stupid walking corpse. It'll be Scooby and the gang with me as Velma."_

That thought did not appeal to her at all. Saya sighed and leaned forward and ran hot water. Then she used copious amount of soap to get the grime and blood off her hands. It required more time than she liked, but eventually… _that_ part was mostly untainted. Leaning forward more she used one hand to open her eye wide and the other to pinch the contact out. It stung, causing her to curse under her breath.

She blinked several times and then moved to the other one. It hurt even worse, making it obvious why, since there were a few grains of dirt under it. _"Hope I don't get an eye infection… I should probably ask Naruto if his… chakra can be used for healing too. That would be extremely useful."_

Saya threw the used contacts away and stepped back. Her vision was still very blurry. She grumbled and rubbed at her eyes with both hands as she walked back into the other room.

A knock at the door caused her… and everyone else to tense. Saya heard the click of the door opening as she dropped her hands.

The door swung open wide to show Naruto, followed by Saeko… and a little girl. She looked seven or eight with big expressive eyes. The two older teens led her into the room where Naruto found himself accosted by Rei.

"My god! Where were you Naruto!?"

Saya watched them rolling her eyes as Rei's possessive behavior. The girl was just too much to handle sometimes… especially right at that moment. Her eyes turned to Saeko, who was looking noticeably smug about something.

A cough to her side alerted Saya to Kouta's presence. "What is it Chubby?"

He shrugged and held out a pair of glasses. "I figured that you'd taken your contacts since you were rubbing your eyes so much." Kouta scratched the back of his head nervously, "I kinda overheard you at school talking about you prescription with some of the other girls… They should be pretty close to yours… since we're both near-sighted.."

Saya took the proffered glasses and put them on. Instantly everything went hazy. She frowned and lifted the glasses slightly, looking over at Naruto, who was enlisting the aid of Saeko to pry Rei off him. She lowered the glasses and they faded into indistinct blobs.

She frowned. _"Okay… So that's weird. I'm seeing fine without his glasses… and I'm seeing better than I was with the contacts in. What the hell?"_

Across the room Rei latched onto Naruto only to find herself hugging the little girl tightly. "Huh?!"

Naruto smirked after switching with the little girl by their side and looked around the room. Shido was in one corner… sulking. Hisashi, Yuki, and Niki were sitting on the floor playing cards. Takiashi leaned against one wall… and Saya…

Saya was staring at him with the oddest expression he'd seen on her. It was a combination of surprise, suspicion, and… enjoyment?

"Something funny Saya-chan?"

She walked over to him and waited a moment while Rei finished being introduced to Alice. Her eyes turned on him. "Not funny, but it seems I no longer need glasses. Care to explain?"

"Um… I take it you were wearing contacts or something?"

She nodded.

He shrugged in much the same way as Kouta. "Honestly I can't really say what it would be like to suddenly have usable levels of chakra. I've always had too much. Even as weakened as I've been in this world I still have more chakra then some back home. I have to be a lot more careful but still…"

Naruto tried to sense her presence using the Kyuubi's chakra. He had a fuzzy feel for her. His sense of smell told him more about her emotions and such, but he wasn't like Kiba. He couldn't smell chakra. He reached out and touched her shoulder. A twinge of familiarity washed over him. He smiled at the feel of real chakra from another person. But some reason… it felt as though her chakra was familiar in more than one way. He pushed it aside and reached through her body, using his own chakra as a second set of eyes.

No one would have been able to do this back home… but he'd developed amazing chakra control over his time spent here. Sensing the peculiarities in other's chakra was easy.

Naruto concentrated but couldn't really find anything wrong…. except… not exactly right. Her reserves were already much larger than they had been. _"But that could have been connected to the surge of energy I felt earlier. Or it might have to do with something else. I still have no clue how she managed to get chakra. Since she has chakra coils it's obvious that it's genetic, but no one else has chakra. No chakra network or anything, so…what?"_

He was puzzled. Could this world have some sort of link to his? If it did then he would have to investigate what such a connection could mean, and how it was made. _"Assuming that she has Chakra coils because it was passed down in her family. And further assuming that her family has them because of a connection to my world, then that could mean that she is descended from a Shinobi… Maybe, even someone who was trapped here like I am?"_

This was something he would have to talk to her parents about, seeing how she would have told him if she knew anything about her innate power.

"It's a bit strange. You're stronger than you should be at this time. You only just started feeling your chakra, but your reserves have already increased. Even though you don't have a fraction of what you would if you had trained from an early age." He released her shoulder. "As for why your eyesight improved, who knows? I'm not a medical specialist. My friend Sakura could probably tell you exactly what happened but she obviously isn't available."

"What's your best guess?"

"Best guess? I'd say your eyesight improved because of your increased chakra. If I circulate chakra throughout my body I could take a bullet point blank and it would just bounce off. So it might have helped repair any damage to your eyes… or merely acting as some random ability. Lots of people I know back home had special talents that no one else had."

He didn't mention that ocular abilities of any kind were exceedingly rare, but more than likely it was just her body adapting to the increase of chakra. She wouldn't be as frail or slow. Perhaps this was just another benefit? After all… how many ninja did he know who really needed glasses? The Kabuto freak, but he was stupidly near sighted.

And then there was Karin. She had awful eyesight, which was strange since she was an Uzumaki. Shino and his clan didn't count. They weren't blind. It was just that their natural eye color was a closely guarded secret.

Saya seemed to accept this readily enough. "So you're saying my chakra is strengthening my body and improving my eyesight as a part of that. Does that mean that anyone who had some kind of physical defect would be improved by using chakra?"

"Um…" He scratched his head thoughtfully. "I could assume that chakra acts as a sort of upgrade for anyone who didn't use it… but you're a pretty special case. There are like no people in this world that have chakra networks so using chakra is impossible for most people."

"Okay… Are you going to be training me soon?"

Naruto shrugged. "I can show you the chakra control exercises and then you can improve on your own. But since we need to find a good base of operations first, we'll probably be traveling around for a little while until we find the ideal place."

He turned to Saeko and Rei. "Anyway, could you two come up and help me pack up my stuff up stairs. I'll leave the food and other stuff unpacked until we leave but I need to stow all the unnecessary stuff."

Rei and Saeko nodded smiling. Naruto turned back to Says. "Would you mind keeping an eye on Alice here? Her father didn't make it so she needs someone who can help her with it… I'm not exactly good at comforting little kids since I was already training to kill at her age."

Saya quirked an eyebrow and nodded. " I'll handle it. But I want to start learning how to use my abilities tonight." She bowed down, looking the little girl in the eyes. "Okay little one. You can come and sit with me." Alice smiled just a bit and followed Saya over to the couch.

Naruto mentally sighed and glanced over to where Shido was giving him a dirty look. He met the gaze steadily and leaked a fraction of his killing intent, making Shido go stiff.

 **"Was that necessary?"**

 _"Not really, but he didn't like me even back at school, and I can tell that he's going to try and cause trouble again. He reminds me of Kabuto a bit… and I really don't like being reminded of that four eyed freak."_

 **"Neither do I, but he does have some pull with the others. You may want to either cow him completely or throw him out on his ass."**

 _"You have no idea how tempting that is… but not right now."_

Naruto moved to the back of the room, waving to Hisashi, Yuki and Niki as he did so. Yuki and Hisashi nodded back. He stopped at the elevator door and ran the card over the scanner causing them to open. He stepped in with the two girls with him and pressed the button for the top floor. He contemplated how big their group had grown. He had a lot of supplies, but for a group of twelve… it wouldn't last too long. And ramen wasn't the healthiest thing to eat. The first thing he needed to do was take some of his storage scrolls to a market and stock up.

With how fast the shit hit the fan he doubted if the stores were cleaned out, but he'd need to go fairly quick. The next day, or the day after for sure. Then they would be well served to get going. And he could put Saya through her paces. She seemed as determined as he had been to learn. She'd need that will to master any techniques in this place.

Naruto pondered how he would be able to support the whole group enough with only himself and later with Saya. They did alright in the school and getting into the apartment, yet he knew better than anyone that luck could run out quick. One day you're on top of the world and the next everything is turning against you.

It would only take one mistake to put their whole group in danger.

And it didn't take into account that the horde he'd destroyed outside the apartment had been tiny in comparison to the local population. If there was a significant group of dead he wouldn't be able to take it. Not even with help. A hundred zombies he could deal with given enough time. Two-hundred… sure, but it would take even longer. A thousand… Two-thousand? Two hundred thousand?

He'd be struggling to keep from exhausting himself and the others would be in an even worse situation. It wasn't as if Saeko or Takashi were weak. It was simply that numbers often made the difference.

He glanced at Saeko. She was as strong as they came in this world. He could show her some of his Kenjutsu techniques while they traveled. Rei… needed to put up the spear. Such a weapon wasn't effective against the undead. She would have to start using swords primarily. Either that or fire arms.

"What are you thinking about Naruto-kun?" Rei asked as the doors to the top floor opened.

He sighed and stepped out. "I was wondering how only two chakra users could get ten people though highly populated areas in Japan. I mean this whole country is filled with highly density populations. This town alone has _thousands_ of people. If there was a big disturbance then it's possible that the majority of the people could be concentrated in one place. At full strength a few thousand zombies would be a piece of cake. Right now though…"

Saeko looked slightly curious. "So you think you can train Saya to the point where she is as strong as you?"

"At least here. She isn't badly affected by this world's… problems as I am. I'd bet it's because she was born here."

Rei tilted her head to the side, frowning ever so slightly. "So she could be as strong as you…quickly?"

He chuckled and moved to the center of the room, pulling out two of his larger storage scrolls. "I never said it would be quick. That really depends on her. If she has natural talent and practices enough she could advance pretty fast. I'm sure she couldn't beat me as far as skill goes, but as long as she isn't being handicapped like I am, she could have more chakra at her disposal than me. That of course means that I could teach her some of the more destructive jutsu that I can't use yet."

Saeko and Rei shared a look but didn't say anything.

He didn't notice it and continued on. "I'll have a problem figuring out what element is her specialty, but if we're lucky she is a wind or lightning user. I'm pretty awesome with wind style and I'm decent with lightning." Naruto opened his storage scroll as Saeko and Rei stopped behind him. "Okay, pass me stuff as I point it out. I'll seal each thing one at a time."

Rei glanced around the room. "This could take a while." She sounded a bit put upon.

Saeko shrugged. "What's first Naruto-kun?"

He pointed to the table stacked with weapons. "The Kukri first, then the Sai and the Katanas. Be careful. Most of those are from my world. They're a bit sharper than they you're used to ."

Saeko smiled at that as she retrieved the correct blades. Rei stood by waiting. "What did you want me to do while she's handing you stuff?"

"Uh… you can stack those shuriken in rows of ten for me and then… actually I need to keep the Fuinjutsu equipment out so we can go shopping tomorrow. I guess you could start bringing the guns and ammo over here. I'll need to apply new seals to my main storage scrolls first."

Rei nodded and turned to the opposite side of the room. Naruto took the first weapon from Saeko and placed it on the scroll, sealing it with a puff of smoke. _"This is going to take a while, but it needs done. Should be finished in an hour or so with the stuff that already has seals."_

 ** _"You should have taken care of this a while ago."_**

 _"I know, I know, don't give me any hassles about it. You know I couldn't have expected any of this!"_

 ** _"Then may I ask about something?"_**

 _"Huh? What?"_

 ** _"What are your intentions regarding the sword maiden? She has made her own intentions clear and you_** _ **did**_ ** _respond favorably to her… Didn't think you would do that."_**

 _"I… I couldn't really help it."_ Naruto didn't like to admit it, but he was a weak to the opposite sex. Maybe not as much as Jiraiya or Kakashi, but wasn't necessarily easy to resist when someone was actually coming on to him.

 ** _"Hmph! You are a pathetic as your father! My previous container had him wrapped around her finger too. Are you going to be mating with her while all this is going on? I wouldn't advise it. Such attachments will just weaken you."_**

 _"They're already sleeping with me… sort of."_

 ** _"Like that is any excuse. If they were the Haruno girl you would be sleeping on the couch."_**

 _"True.. but… I mean, I like Saeko-chan. She's…"_

 ** _"Attractive… I noticed. For a human she is quite appealing. And if I'm not mistaken your connection to me… and your Uzumaki heritage is making you rather susceptible to her charms. Not to mention you have always been weak for violent women."_**

 _"Hey!"_

 ** _"Is it not the truth?"_**

Naruto paused in his sealing, an annoyed expression crossing his face. _"Okay…what are you getting at? I'm not going to do anything stupid, but what does it matter if I choose to do something with Saeko?!"_

 ** _"For starters it will cause a divide between you and the other vixen. Must I remind you how jealous females can be? Do you not recall how the pink haired one and the mind reader from Konoha used to act around the Uchiha?"_**

 _"I guess I understand, but do you really think It will be a…"_

The Kyuubi sighed. **_"I am not telling you to do anything. I was merely pointing out that having a relationship in the middle on an apocalypse is asking for trouble. And it will taint your decisions in their favor."_** The fox shifted in the back of his mind and growled. **_"Take both of them for all I care, but don't get me killed and don't complain when something happens to them. They_** _ **are**_ ** _weak after all."_**

 _"Thanks…I guess."_

 ** _"Just let me sleep. I need to replenish my energy after your excess rescuing the child."_**

 _"Sure thing Kyuubi."_ He shook his head and started sealing again, taking the sword proffered by Saeko. His nose picked up the faint scent of her arousal again. It made his cheeks flush slightly. _"Damn my nose… and what did he even mean by my Uzumaki heritage?"_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

 **And that's a wrap. I hope that everyone liked this chapter, and how I've rectified the problem with Alice. So you don't have to worry about her biting the proverbial dust!**

 **Just remember to review or a zombie might get a little snack later on. You know...it is a apocalypse fic after all...**


	8. 7 Interlude from the Dead

**(Updated: 6/21/18)**

 **Oh! Hi and welcome to the next chapter of Maelstrom amongst the Dead. I know it's been quite a while, but I never completely abandon a story. And this here is the proof. Listen, I have had more than enough on my plate for the last few months. Had enough trouble posting other chapters to other stories… but enough complaining from me now. Right? You want to read the story. So only a brief reiteration of the usual disclaimer and we can get started.**

 **(still don't own Naruto or HOTD in any way)**

 _ **Chapter 7**_

 _Interlude from the Dead_

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Naruto grumbled to himself a long while later. It had taken a lot longer to seal all his weapons away than he thought. Almost two hours for the already sealed items… and much longer for the things he hadn't applied seals for. Stuff like Kunai and Shuriken were a piece of cake. Any item that was an exact duplicate was fine… but guns.. Oh kami. He both hated and loved those things. On one hand they could easily kill a Jonin with a single shot. Yet on the other hand they were a perfectly _royal_ pain to seal.

Kunai equals knife. Or in other words a sharp metal stick? Easy. Gun? Not so much.

The blond ninja blinked his eyes wearily as he closed his last storage scroll and placed it in a small stack of them to one side. About six scrolls in all. One with all his weapons, one with all his armor and miscellaneous gear, and one with all supplies from all around the apartment. He'd already sent the girls out to collect things they might need. After all, he had a ton of space and there wasn't any point in not packing everything they could possibly need. It wasn't as if it would take up any more space… Just time.

"Well… that's almost all of it. Just the food left to pack." Naruto muttered to himself.

Sitting cross-legged beside him was Saya. She was trying to focus her chakra and had been for the last two hours since she joined him. He smirked at the look of concentration on her face. She was cute honestly. Saeko was hot for lack of a better word and Rei was beautiful. Saya though…. Saya was cute in a sexy sort of way.

" _Fuck… I am such a perv for sidelining into this. If I ever see Pervy Sage again I'm going to kick his ass into the middle of the next era."_

One bored eye opened and Saya asked. "How long is this supposed to take? I did what you suggested but nothing is happening. I don't feel any different."

Naruto sighed and turned to face her, still sitting. He put his hands in his lap as his face twisted in thought. After a moment he spoke. "Alright. Let me explain this a bit better. Keep in mind I'm notoriously bad at explaining stuff… so bear with me." He closed his eyes briefly before alighting on a way to explain chakra.

Then it came to him.

"You've watched Starwars right?"

"Duh... As if anyone hasn't. Even in Japan it's popular. I don't watch many movies but I've seen that at least."

"Well you remember how the old sensei in it explained the Force right? Well that's kinda what chakra is. It's in basically everything. In people and animals and plants. It's in the air around us and flows thought the ground." Naruto took in a deep breath. "To be blunt I never awakened my chakra like normal ninja do. I was born and shortly after that… I had a massive demon made out of pure chakra shoved inside my chest. My chakra network has been in overdrive since I was a day old. Literally. So I don't know what it feels like to awaken my chakra which makes it hard for me to explain it to you."

"So…" She frowned and crossed her hands under her breasts. "Why did you tell me to reach inside myself looking for a warmth then? What was all that psychic pseudo-nonsense?"

Naruto grumbled and rubbed his face. "Okay… So let me put it this way. I have three different kinds of chakra I can draw on. I can draw on my own. I can draw on Kurama's…"

"The demon inside you?"

"Yeah, him. And I can draw on the natural energy around me. The thing is the way I told you to draw on your chakra is the same way I use to draw on Nature energy. Just without reaching out for the power around me. I'm trying to get you to internalize it."

Saya nodded. She understood that part… or at least she thought she did. The problem she had was that she could only really _feel_ her chakra was when Naruto was touching her or after he pushed a bit of his own chakra into her. It was like her chakra was sluggish until it got a jolt from his. She could hazard a guess that years of non-use had made her 'chakra network' atrophy like any muscle would.

" _So how do I fix this? Naruto said that it's largely up to me. I have limits. I know that much and he's told me that I will start out very weak. But how do I get myself jumpstarted? How do I begin to… circulate my chakra?"_

She sighed inwardly and closed her eyes again, focusing hard. She tried to meditate… but couldn't. There was too much going on for her to do that.

"What are ya doing?"

"Trying to meditate."

Naruto blinked though she didn't see it. But the tone of his voice made her eyes snap open. "Why?"

She blinked as well. "What do you mean why? Why wouldn't I try to meditate to use this? You said it's like the force did you not?"

"Oh no! That's not what I meant by that. What I meant by the whole Force thing was that it is all around us and grants us a ton of power if used properly. I didn't mean you needed all that piece of mind stuff!" He gestured to himself. "Do I look like the kind of person who calmly meditates a lot? Hell no! Chakra is vital energy as much as anything else. Sure there is a spiritual part and all, but hardly anyone in my world is 'at peace'. For kami's sake some of the strongest people out there are mentally unhinged psychopaths…"

Naruto shook his head once as if to clear it. Then he leaned forward. "Instead of trying to calm yourself, try to find the _energy_ inside you. The untapped well of _power._ You aren't like Hisashi. He's the calm and collected type. He might be able to unlock his chakra by going into some kind of trance, but you are more _alive_ than that. You need to feel strong and energetic to unlock your chakra! You remember what I told you about the monks who have more spiritual energy than they know what to do with it?

"And they never have much physical energy?" Saya nodded. "I remember."

"This is what I'm talking about. Think of something that made you feel different, made you feel like you were on top of the world! That's how you draw on your chakra. Not through peace, but through determination!"

She leaned backwards a bit and nodded again, closing her eyes. She drowned out the outside world and focused… hard. But not on peace. She searched her memory for that feeling that Naruto was describing. That indescribable sense of _living._

And then she found it.

Saya experienced a most profound feeling of… wholeness… as she delved deep. It was like pushing her hands into the pockets of her jeans and feeling the bottoms of them… Then the insides suddenly expanding, going on forever. And at the same time her entire body, from her head to her toes and radiating out from her chest, warmed like a furnace.

It brought a dark flush to her skin as every nerve jolted and the room around her senses seemed to suddenly sharpen and come into focus. Suddenly she could hear the soft growling undertone to Naruto's breathing and the animal musk of his scent. She could feel the strong beat of his heart as a low beat in her ears.

Saya opened her mouth and tasted the air. It was like nothing she'd ever done before. Her mouth exploded with different sensations. Like she was tasting things she never could before. It was amazing and… as she opened her eyes, she caught Naruto's scent again. Tasting it was so strange to her. Where his senses always this keen or were hers simply so dulled? Saya licked her suddenly dry lips as her eyes took in Naruto.

Her vision had sharpened even more, giving her an image of Naruto in perfect detail. His curious expression and handsome looks causing her to blush slightly.

Her hearing seemed to slip in and out, becoming even keener. The sound of talking on the floor below them filtered in, making her eyes go wide. Naruto's eyes were on her even as her shock became apparent. She blinked as time seemed to slow. _"What is this? Is this the power he was talking about? It's amazing… Everything is so much clearer. I feel like.. like I was blind and deaf before…_ " Saya was overcome with wonder. Was this how Naruto experienced the world? It was amazing!

"N..Naruto… I can… everything…"

He leaned forward. "Must be pretty awesome to be able to use chakra for the first time right?"

She shook her head. "That… doesn't even begin to describe it. Every sense… it's like I was a baby before." Saya dipped her head and dragged her fingertips over the wooden floor. "Even touch is so much clearer."

Naruto grinned. "Cool! So now that you've unlocked your chakra I can show you some basic control and strengthening exercises! I'll have you walking up walls in no time!"

"Wait a sec!" She shouted. "Let me… feel around a bit…"

He stopped and waited as she stood up and walked around the room as if in daze. She put her hands to the wall and stepped along it, letting the new strange feelings flow. Naruto watched her take in the simple room with her heightened senses and a smile grew on his face. It was great, seeing someone act as though they'd opened their eyes for the first time. It seemed that even in the first days of the apocalypse, there were still good things to experience.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 _-Somewhere far away-_

A heavily scarred face starred up at the night sky, features covered by a mask. He could not see, for there was nothing to see. This world was dead, to him… to everything. Yet a small smile crept across his face even as his ear registered the groans of the dead… Husks of what were once men. _"What a sad world that it has come to this…."_

Blind, he rose, his body knowing its duty. To destroy everything that attempted to stand in its way or tear him down. The walking corpses were many, but they were but blades of grass in the wind. And he was a great elder oak of the forest. He would stand firm.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

"T…That…..?"

Shido honestly didn't know what to say. It was like someone had just come and told him that, yes pigs really could fly. Or perhaps as though it was Christmas Eve and he walked in the living room to see Santa. He simply couldn't believe his eyes… or his ears.

Why?

Because Saya Takagi was walking on walls.

"Awesome…" Kouta grinned. "Pure Awesome…"

Rei and Saeko just stared dumbly as the pink haired girl walked up the wall as though it were even ground, only her hair and clothes paying attention to gravity in the least. Well and other things, but we won't mention those. She was frowning deeply with concentration, struggling to keep herself anchored to the wall. Everyone else simply stood back looking amazed. Even Naruto wasn't immune to this effect.

"Damn Saya… You got that down even faster than Sakura-chan! And I thought she had the best chakra control of anyone. Sheesh… kinda makes me feel lame. Took me a day and a night to learn this as good as you." He grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "Good job…"

Saya cried out as she finally ran out of chakra and dropped back to the ground. Fortunately it was on her feet. She straightened and shook herself like a dog. "Ugh… it feels weird to push it to the soles of my feet while trying to keep enough everywhere else to not break something. How do you make it look so easy?!"

Naruto shrugged. "I learned that exercise when I was thirteen. I'm seventeen. I've had four years of constant practice. That's not to mention my clones."

"Clones?" she questioned.

"Yeah, you remember what I told you about them don't you?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "You said you get their memories…"

"Uh huh. Which means that all the experience they get with someone is transferred to me. It's the ultimate training technique. Just one additional clone doubles the rate at which I learn and I used to train with dozens… or hundreds of them. I could do months of training in a day because of my massive reserves of chakra." He glanced at the others oddly. "It's a bit embarrassing really. I never noticed that I got the memories from them until my sensei showed me…"

Saya deadpanned. "How could you not?"

"Well… I'm not called the _#1 hyperactive knucklehead ninja_ for nothing. I'm overpowered and I have too much energy, most people think I'm pretty dense, and of course I'm a ninja… so there is that."

He sighed and dropped to the couch. "You're getting this way quicker than I did. Who knows? Maybe that's because you're one of those geniuses. One of my friends back home was like that… even if he was a complete jackass."

Across the room Shido filed all this information away for later and leaned against one wall, continuing to observe them. Although one eye occasionally flicked to Rei. He frowned inwardly. The girl seemed to be looking for a good reason to kill him. He wouldn't interfere and perhaps give her one. After all, he already had to worry about the blond. He might say he was dense, but he had a keen intuition and Shido instinctually knew he was one of 'those' people.

Someone who couldn't be manipulated.

Naruto could be tricked. Yes… if he was careful he could pull a fast one on the blond. But he could not be bought. And until he could get out of the spotlight cast by Rei's suspicion there was nothing he could slip the 'ninja' up with.

He closed his eyes briefly and let out a small sigh. _"This situation is not the best. I need to find a way to assert my control over the group or gain some influence. But it won't be easy. Most of these kids are very independent. Saeko, Rei, Hisashi, Takashi, Naruto, Kouta, Saya… They are all trained or independent in one way or another. The only ones I could really manipulate would be the two hangers on… but they already are influenced towards that blond boy… How do I do this?!"_

"Yo! Guys, gather round. I've put a plan together!"

Shido blinked at the sudden declaration, but decided to stay back. Everyone else approached Naruto.

Naruto turned his head to take in the mix of faces. Saya sat next to him on the couch while Rei quickly stole his other side before Saeko could. Both girls glared at each other for the briefest of moments before the samurai girl took the arm of the couch. Everyone else merely took seats around him on the floor.

He took a deep breath and began.

"Okay guys. Here's how we are going about this. Me, Saya, Shizuka, Saeko, and Hisashi are going out into town tomorrow early as we can to gather as many supplies as we can from local stores. The rest of you will stay here and look after yourselves. While we're gone Rei and Takashi are in charge. They can keep an eye on everything until the rest of us get back."

"What are you going to get? I thought you said you had plenty of supplies?" Yuuki asked.

"The thing is… I _did_. But the group size literally doubled. That means that the supplies I have go twice as fast. What would have lasted a month only lasts two weeks. And if you haven't noticed a good portion of the supplies happen to be instant ramen. While I don't have a problem with that, it isn't exactly healty. You guys and girls might not enjoy eating it 24/7 anyway. Besides that we need water and that isn't something we can take with us from here."

Saya nodded. "Naruto is right. We need quality food if we are to stay healthy. Ramen is great because it could get nuked and probably would still be edible, but as for nutrition? It's got nothing. Naruto can use his abilities to store a nearly infinite amount of supplies, but we have to get them first. That's what we'll be doing tomorrow."

The others nodded.

Rei glanced to her left at him. "Why leave me and Takashi in charge?"

"Because… both of you can keep a level head in an emergency. You showed that already. But at the same time neither of you have the combat experience needed to go out foraging yet. Out on the street it's easy to dodge corpses, but in a close confined space it would be way too easy for you to get hurt… or worse. That's why you two will stay here and look over things."

"Why take Shizuka then? She has like no combat experience."

"True…" Naruto admitted. "But she is also our only medical specialist. We need her to build up a supply of first aid for us. She can look at something and judge how well it will work for first aid and she can tell the usefulness of different drugs and medication. I'll be protecting her personally so she isn't hurt. I'm hard to put down and I heal fast. You…?" He gestured to the whole group in general. "…don't…"

Takashi gave Naruto the thumbs up. "No problem Naruto. We'll hold down the base here, but after your foraging mission, what happens then?"

"Then… we go straight to Saya's house."

Kouta blinked. "Why there again?"

Saeko pulled a hand through her hair and spoke calmly. "Saya's parents are wealthy aristocrats. It makes sense that they have the money to survive this. Also I've seen where they live. It's as close as you can come to a castle without battlements and suits of armor."

Naruto nodded. "While I haven't actually been there Saya made it clear that her parents would be alive. Plus their home will probably be fortified within a day or so. If it isn't already. Once we get there we will have a solid base of operations and enough manpower to _not_ worry about the dead. Once we are all there we can form a group to look for everyone's families."

Hisashi scratched his chin in thought. "What about after that?"

"No clue." Naruto shrugged. "Honestly after that I have two goals. One is protecting my friends. Two is finding a way back home. Other than that I have no plans. Let me be blunt with you all…." He leaned back on the couch, his expression now serious. "I never belonged in this world. And now that it's overrun with the walking dead… even less so. As soon as I find a way to return home I intend to do just that… I'll take anyone with me who wants to leave this god forsaken place."

"R..really?!" Rei shouted. "You would do that?!"

"Wait! Hold it! I never said that we will all get back to my home everything is going to be just fine. My home is in the middle of a war. A war where the vast majority of people could kill a whole horde of zombies bare handed. It isn't safe there, but for you… it's _safer._ And when the war is over it would be almost as safe as it was before all of this shit happened. It's an offer guys. You'll have plenty of time to think about it since it will most likely take me months or longer to find a way back."

"I'll come."

Naruto turned to Saya. "What? That was.."

"Quick? Pretty much, but I have chakra don't I? I have the same power as you. I'm willing to bet that somehow someone from your world came here a long time ago and got stuck too. Then when they couldn't get back they settled down and made a life here. Obviously I'm descended from someone with your same powers. And because of that… and all of this shit that's happened. I'd rather be in your world, war or not. At least your war will end when one side loses."

"You have a point there…" Naruto muttered. "Well if you want to come I'm defiantly not going to say anything against it. But this is all a bit far in the future to talk about anyway. Let's take things one day or week at a time. For now we rest. Tomorrow we go gather supplies. The day after we head to Saya's home."

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Now…" He coughed once and stood. "I am going to bed you guys probably should too." With that he turned and headed to the elevator to the second floor.

Once he was on the top floor he stripped down and jumped into bed. He closed his eyes as he lay under the covers of his bed, quickly calming his breathing and entered his mindscape. It was the first time he'd done it in quite a while.

A slight pain in his stomach signaled that he was successful as he dropped down in ankle deep water. It was warm, but murky, showing the conflicted nature of his thoughts… His eyes opened.

" **Hmm…? It's been a long time since you came last Naruto… What prompted this? Ever since I used my chakra to heal your chakra network we have been able to communicate without you coming here."** Kurama tilted his head in question. **"Well?"**

"Can't I come to visit you in person once in a while? I am your evil Jailer after all. Just think of it as doing my rounds!"

" **You're sense of humor has yet to improve."** The fox grumbled lazily.

"Yeah I know, but we needed to talk and I wanted to do it face to face. Besides… I kinda wanted to be in here when Saeko-chan and Rei-chan climb into bed with me. I don't think I could go to sleep if I was conscious of them being there with me."

" **Embarrassed?"**

"Um…" Naruto looked down. "Yeah. You could say that. The whole thing with those two is completely bizarre to me. I don't know how to act around them even though. I mean I know what I _want_ to do…"

Kurama shifted behind the great bars of his cage. **"If you want counseling I need you to know my only experience with female emotions was being trapped in your mother and before her… the first Hokage's wife. They were my only containers as you well know."**

"I get that… but I just… You told me to do what I wanted to do. I seem to remember you even making a joke about taking them both as mates. Well that's nice to say and all but I honestly don't know what to do about it! I liked Sakura but we've both talked about that and it was just a childhood crush. Rei and Saeko-chan though! They like me, not the other way around!"

" **You kissed the sword maiden more than once already."** Kurama grinned. **"And you seemed to enjoy it. What are you planning to do about her?"**

Naruto blushed red. "I…" He let out a shuddering breath. "I don't know. I just lost it for a sec there. I wanted to… that… so much. I even forgot to maintain my henge! I've never lost my focus like that before!" One hand clutched at his chest. "Whenever I think of doing that again…"

" **Kissing her?"**

He nodded.

" **And?"**

"I… I just want to touch and… I feel like I'm a stupid character in Pervy Sage's books! It's like I'm losing my will to resist anything. It took everything I had before just to pull away…" Naruto bit his lip, looking extremely uneasy. "You know I don't like losing control over my emotions, especially after surviving in this world for so long. I'm almost as good at masking my true feelings as Sasuke. But… it felt so… _good_ to…"

" **You're blushing kit. Something wrong?"** Kurama sounded amused.

Naruto growled. "I _wanted_ to… Shit. I can't even say it."

Kurama chuckled. **"You're acting as though this is some illness. I seem to remember telling you two other things besides the previous joke I made, which was only partly a jest. The first was about how difficult it would be to resist distraction if you let them into your life even a little. You remember that do you not?"**

"Yes…"

" **The other was about your Uzumaki heritage. While I know only slightly more about women than you… despite my great age, I know more than you could ever need or want to know about Uzumaki. Both my previous vessels were pure bloods… and prime examples of such. It would be hard to say who was more powerful. Mito Uzumaki or your mother, though I would lean towards your mother."**

"What is your point and how does it help me with the fact that I have two girls chasing after me… when neither is even from my world?!"

" **It doesn't,"** he said bluntly. **"This is something about yourself not women in general. As an Uzumaki you are different from most Shinobi."**

"Thank you for telling me captain obvious. I was not aware of that little tidbit."

" **Oh shut up you little pest."**

"Fine fine… go on."

Kurama glared at him for a long moment before he continued from where he left off. **"You are stronger, smarter, and more adept with both Ninjutsu and Fuinjutsu. All these are definite advantages. However they come at a slight cost. Not necessarily a bad thing. It is merely a part of being what you are. Much as the Inuzuka have their mating cycles or the Akamichi their appetites."** The great fox shifted and lay down, his red eyes focused on Naruto. **"Uzumaki, judging from what I know of my past vessels, go through a phase of maturity. Think of it as a writ of passage for your clan."**

Naruto looked to Kurama in surprise before threw his hands in the air in defeat. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?!"

" **Well you're only** _ **half**_ **Uzumaki and I didn't think it would happen. By the time you started showing signs we were already in this situation with no easy way out."**

"So?! What is it?!"

" **Your mother was about fourteen when it kicked in. She became… attached… to your father. She didn't like this at all. As far as she was concerned she'd started to fall for him against her own will… A contrary girl your mother. But as it was she showed her affection in the only way she knew how. Violence, which since your father was far smarter than the average boy, he mostly avoided. Worse luck for those caught in the crossfire."**

"Uh huh… Go on."

" **Anyway, your mother eventually gave into her feelings for him but she never had the courage to approach him."** Kurama smirked, showing off his massive white teeth. **"I found it humorous that with the one thing she wanted most she lost all her bravado when dealing with it."**

"And…?" Naruto leaned forward.

" **Let us just say that certain events led to her admitting her feelings for your father much earlier than would have happened. She was… sixteen or seventeen I believe. To put an utterly tiresome and somewhat embarrassing series of events, your mother badgered your father into mating with her less than two days after they got together. She then proceeded to make such pursuits a** _ **hobby**_ **of sorts."**

Hearing this, Naruto blushed even redder. "Fox! Why would you say something like that! It's my mom!"

" **I'm only telling you how it was. Think of it from my perspective. I** _ **the Kyuubi no Kitsune**_ **, most certainly a male entity, was trapped inside a human female with a…"** Kurama paused. **"How should I put this? You might have been born much earlier if your father didn't take 'extensive' precautions. Much as I despise the man… he was cautious."** A deep rasping laugh came from the fox. **"HA! And not to mention he used it to curb your mother's ramen addiction as well. Must have saved the family a king's ransom."**

Naruto grumbled. "Get on with it then..! What does all that mean to me?"

Kurama shrugged his titanic shoulders. **"You're maturing Naruto. That's all there is to it. Uzumaki like you simply have more strings attached. Rather like an Inuzuka in that respect. You're seeking out a mate by instinct. The pleasure you feel when you're being, as you called it,** _ **perverted**_ **is only a natural urge that you humans have. Emotions or not you physically desire the sword girl. I'd venture to say it wouldn't be hard for the other one to temp you at this point."**

"…."

" **It doesn't help that they're sleeping in the same bed as you and are open with their intentions."**

Naruto's face twitched. "This… It seems like a royal pain in the ass but at the same time…"

"… **you can't help but be excited."** Kurama finished.

"Yeah It's just… What do I do about the 'two' of them? Do I even like… I mean I know I like them. Do I like them in that way or is it just… I want to…" Naruto gritted his teeth and turned around quickly, facing away from the fox. He fumed silently for almost ten minutes before he at last turned back around. "What the fuck do I do?!"

" **Be yourself kit. That's all I can tell you. I'm a giant fox made of nearly incalculable amounts of chakra. I'm not a guidance councilor. If you need advice on a battle or strategy for survival come back and see me. On matters of love… I am of no use to you."** Kurama's eyes closed. **"Now… I think you'll need to think of what I've said on your own. After your errand tomorrow talk to me again and we can discuss real matters of survival."**

"I.. guess… See you then fox."

" **See you kit."**

Naruto nodded and after a moment's hesitation allowed himself to return to his body…. And to sleep.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Wakefulness came slowly to Naruto, the real world seeming to intrude on that of his dreams. But as always happened he eventually lost the battle to stay asleep and came fully awake. He sighed. It had been such a good dream this time. It was set back in the Elemental Nations. Him and Pervy Sage and the rookie twelve were all at the Akamichi BBQ, having a food fight of all things.

He, Hinata, Jiraiya, and Shikamaru were holed up behind the service counter. While Kiba and Choji were in mid battle. Ino and Sakura were having the mach of a lifetime while Sasuke just looked on… looking bored. Even Lee, Tenten, and Neji had formed their usual awkward team, chucking rice balls like grenades! And off to the side Shino sat and watched all from behind his dark shades…

Ah… it had been such a good dream…

" _Huh? What's that smell?"_ Naruto frowned and, still with his eyes closed, pushed his nose into the soft covers. He liked this scent…

It was only a second before he remembered the scent and his eyes snapped open wide. Just in time to catch the blue eyes of Saeko. He stiffened, becoming completely aware of his surroundings. He was lying in his bed, much as he thought he was.

Yet for the second time someone had managed to sneak their way into his embrace without waking him. It baffled him that his ninja training decided to simply _desert_ him as soon as a girl decided she wanted to snuggle. He could vaguely feel that there were others in the bed and he could hear the breathing of exactly three others. Probably Saya and Alice one one side… and Rei on the other. He didn't feel anyone against his back though…

That all took a back seat at the moment though. Naruto suppressed a shudder as Saeko shifted under the heavy blankets. He could feel her soft skin brushing his… Was she almost naked? Again? Didn't she understand what this was doing to him?

No… she didn't.

Their blue eyes stayed locked onto each other even as Naruto realized his face was growing hot. His fingers twitched, almost in anticipation. A voice in the back of his mind told him to look away and sit up, leave the bed and take a shower… a very cold shower. And then get back to surviving. But the voice was very small and overshadowed by the growing heat in his chest, the overpowering warmth all too like a drug messing with his head.

Naruto sucked in a breath and closed his eyes for a second. Then he growled, giving in…

Saeko gasped in surprise as Naruto suddenly pushed forward to capture her lips with his own. Instantly she felt his skin become white hot for a brief moment… and then his eyes opened, the black pupils transformed into dark slits and his whisker marks into black stripes of coal. The heat faded slightly as she felt sharp points raking across her exposed belly. At the same time she found herself being pushed into the bed. Naruto's broke their heated kiss only to…

She tried to bite back a moan as his new… sharp… canines wounded her skin. The sound only seemed to push Naruto further and his growling purr caused bumps to break out over her arms. She wrapped them around his neck, trying to drag him closer. The thought of Rei only a foot from her on the bed completely escaped her mind even as Naruto obliged.

 **Ooo**

Saya blinked awake as an odd sound burst upon her ears. She grumbled and tried to go back to sleep, only to hear it again, already too roused to ignore it. The loud feminine sound was filled with pleasure and lust. She stiffened and sat up quickly throwing the blankets off her face… Her eyes darted to the side and…

" _Eh?!"_

What she saw did three things. It made her very embarrassed, very scared, and very aroused. _Not_ in that order. She blushed hugely but was incapable of speech as she watched them… or more importantly… him.

Now Naruto usually looked like a handsome/exotic boy who could go from whimsical and almost stupid… to cunning and serious in a split second. At least that was what she'd seen of him so far. What he was now? She could describe him as hot, but that wouldn't quite do him justice. He looked like one of those American movie werewolves.

With golden skin and unruly blond hair. His sapphire eyes bore slitted pupils and the marks on either side of his face became jagged slashes. When he drew away from Saeko's reddened skin she saw his canines were long and sharp… like no human's should have been. Even his hands bore razor claws, which grasped over Saeko's sides.

"N…Naruto…"

Saya started as Saeko spoke his name and Naruto paused. He drew back slightly but just as quickly pushed his face into the crook of her neck, biting her softly… or not. Saeko immediately let her head fall back and moaned. When Naruto pulled away again Saya saw four red marks in her pale flesh…

Saya flushed further when Saeko reached down between them to grasp something. The pinket could guess pretty accurately what it was by Naruto's grunt of pleasure. She had to speak up… before they did anything more! Didn't they realize that they were still in bed with three other people?! And for that matter how could Rei not have woken up by now?!

She looked across the bed to see the girl… and her jaw dropped. Rei was obviously asleep, but her cheeks were deeply flushed and she seemed to be in the middle of an extraordinarily active wet dream. Rei's mouth was open as if in passionate expectation. Just as Saya watched, she murmured Naruto's name.

"What the hell?!" Saya almost shouted, but her voice gave out near the end.

Naruto froze, his head turning to her slowly, his exotic eyes settling on her. His breathing came hard and she could easily smell the musk radiating off his skin… intoxicating. She forced herself to ignore it and pointed at him. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I…" Naruto seemed to be lost for words and his face turned bright red with embarrassment… as opposed to pleasure. He swallowed hard. "S..sorry?" Saeko glared at Saya with something very close to fury before arching her back into Naruto. His large frame shuddered like he'd been shocked and he turned back to her. "Saeko..chan… Not fair…."

She frowned/pouted and crossed her arms under her bust. Saeko realized that the _almost_ steamy sex scene she was hoping for was delayed again. She wasn't happy about it. The pink haired girl might have shared some strange spiritual power with Naruto… but that didn't give her the right to just interrupt! Especially when Naruto had kissed her of his own accord… again…

Rei woke up then, sitting up in bed just in time to see Naruto slip out and dart into the bathroom. She glanced around at Saya's cheery red frown and Saeko's annoyed pout. She yawned and pushed her arms into the air.

"Aw…. What happened?"

Inside the bathroom Naruto turned on the shower with a deft flick of the wrist and stepped in. He growled low in his throat as he pushed his head under the freezing cold water. His skin still felt hot to the touch and he…

He wanted nothing more than to go and drag Saeko in with him, crank the water to scalding and… Naruto almost whimpered as the churning ball of heat in his chest twisted. FUCK! If this was just his instincts telling him something…. What the hell would happen if he ignored them for a week?

No he knew. It would drive him absolutely _insane_. Just now he'd given in to the temptation. That god damned lust that seemed to boil from his skin! Next time he saw Kurama he was going to beat the fox's ass! This wasn't just some physical reaction; it was like his body acted on autopilot. It was like when he'd fought Sasuke at the Valley of the End and he let his rage take over. It was an overwhelming urge to destroy the Uchiha utterly…

Except this was more of an urge to ravage the blue haired sword maiden… just like she wanted him to. Kami just the thought that she wanted it was enough to crumble his will to resist. He didn't even understand why she was coming on to him so damned hard!

Naruto hissed in slight pain as he stripped Kurama's chakra from his body and shoved it back into the seal. It was a problem… And a very big problem when it came to Saeko. Kurama's chakra both heightened and responded to emotions. When he was angry the chakra reacted and made him even more furious. When he was lonely it made him feel like the last man on the face of the planet.

This was the first time he'd felt Kurama's chakra when he was… in that position. Oh kami… he just wanted to kiss those pink lips. He was sure they'd feel amazing on his own. He wanted to such and bite her skin over and…

His skin was steaming. The icy water of the shower wasn't even touching him. Why?! Why couldn't he get a handle on his emotions now?! Was it this world that was making him lose it? No… it wasn't. Otherwise he'd have reacted to Saeko like this before, right? Kurama said he hadn't noticed the signs quickly enough… What signs? Was there something in the last few weeks that he hadn't noticed? When had he started feeling like this towards Saeko or girls in general?!

It wasn't when he'd met Rei the first time. He'd been honestly surprised that he needed an elective at a Highschool. Like… why were they called electives anyway if you were required to take them?

He'd gone along with it because he already knew a little bit about sword play from the Pervy Sage. The old man had shown him the basics during their training trip so that a Kenjutsu user wouldn't tear him apart. He figured that it would be an easy class to pass.

He hadn't counted that he'd enjoy it as much as he did, even missing the majority of his chakra… Was it sometime during his time in Kendo club? It could have been. He'd really opened up to everyone like he'd never done before. At least not since getting to know the rookie twelve back home. And then all of this shit started. When had his primal instincts and desires decided they wanted to take the wheel?

Naruto didn't know and he couldn't understand how this suddenly had so much control over his life. It was nowhere to be seen one day and knocking down his door the next. And he wanted to survive? How was he supposed to concentrate on keeping everyone alive when most of his self control and willpower was tied up with _not_ tearing Saeko's clothes off?!

A knock at the door alerted him to someone wanting to come in. He growled and quickly pulled the shower's curtain closed, obscuring his form.

"Come in!"

He heard the door to the bathroom click open and someone entered. He couldn't tell who it was, but his heart was racing never the less. What if it was Saeko? She said… _practically_ promised… that she would be his girl.

The very thought was enough to make him want to give in. What part wasn't attractive? A gorgeous girl was trying her damndest to worm her way into his heart. Albeit she seemed to be just as focused on getting in his pants as most guys would be to get in hers. He'd always wanted someone to be with, to hold close… to kiss…

And she was offering…

"Naruto-kun."

He stiffened under the cold water of the shower, immediately knowing the voice was the self same girl he thought of. She'd followed him in. She damn well knew he was on the last string of his self restraint. How perfectly evil of her!

"Sae..ko… chan…?" He asked hoarsely. His heart was starting to beat out of control and the heat in his chest was returning with a vengeance. "What are you…?"

A hand suddenly drew the curtain aside. Naruto stared transfixed. There was Saeko, completely naked, having shed her underclothes in the walk across the bathroom floor. Her face was still flushed red and her blue eyes were focused on him. A small coy smile lingered on her lips as she put an arm out to the shower wall, leaning against it. Naruto couldn't help it. His eyes trailed up her mile long legs to her hips… up over her toned stomach… and to her bare breasts.

She was a goddess. A goddess who was… offering herself to him.

"May I join you Naruto-kun?"

And….. his last tether of self control snapped.

Saeko gasped as Naruto's hand shot out, taking her by the arm and dragging her into the shower. The fact that they were completely naked was something that was both ignored and understood. His instincts took over with his emotions riding shotgun beside them.

Naruto didn't even feel the freezing shower as he pulled Saeko flush against him. He paid zero attention to the slippery floor, already unconsciously sending chakra to his feet. Meanwhile his hands were far from idle. His right was stroking up Saeko's thigh as she raised her leg to wrap around him. His other supported her as he bent his head to hers, lips meeting hard.

He swallowed her moan and pushed his tongue into her mouth. He wanted… no needed to dominate her. Saeko seemed all too willing as one hand curled around his neck and the other descended. Her fingers stroked down his chest, tracing the muscles till her palm came to rest on something hard… pulsing. Naruto purred in the back of his throat as her slim fingers wrapped around his hilt, squeezing slightly. He released her lips long enough to lock eyes with her. Saeko's gaze was hungry and… wanting.

She gasped for air as her face plunged forward. Naruto felt her teeth marking him then, trailing down his strong neck, nipping as his chest. The indigo haired beauty drew her other hand from his neck… to his throbbing member. The movement and pleasure robbed him of his strength for a brief moment and… both lost their balance.

Saeko cried out once as her feet went out from under her… then shuddered through a moan. The erotic music drew a growl from Naruto. She'd landed on him, her swollen lower lips rubbing his hardness. Saeko couldn't restrain her instincts either and ground down on to him. The blond let his head fall back as he felt pure ecstasy race through his system. His head rose again and he bit down on her exposed throat. He felt his sharp canines pierce her skin… followed by the iron tang of blood. Naruto drew back slightly and captured her lips again. Saeko's hands found his shoulders and she pulled him against her harder, her breasts pushing against his chest and her hard nipples raking across his skin.

Naruto grabbed her by the waist and, breaking the kiss, pulled her up so he could take her nipple between his teeth. Saeko cried out as her sensitive mound dragged all the way over his manhood even as he sucked hard. Her body tensed. Each breath came out ragged and her eyes were unfocused. Then Naruto slipped one hand down her form. His slitted pupils locked on her face, contorted with pleasure… as he slipped a finger into her sweet folds.

A nearly silent scream tore from her lips as her legs clamped around him and she buried her face under his chin. Her nails dug furrows in his shoulders as she came. Naruto's nose picked up on the sudden scent of her release. It was… sweet and strong. He tasted the air as Saeko… slowly… came down from her high.

The blade mistress's eyes focused mere seconds before Naruto's mouth found her skin. She cried his name as he trailed his sharp affection over her shoulder, trailing down the arm. Naruto purred as he returned to her throat, marking her again. The slight taste of her blood mingled with the sweetness of her skin.

He didn't even notice the chakra leaking from his skin. It didn't register to his lust clouded mind that each bite was leaving pieces of his chakra in her flesh.

He wanted more…

 **Ooo**

Hovering on one side of the Bathroom door, Saya and Rei exchanged glances. Both were shocked beyond words and Rei didn't know for sure which was more traumatizing. The fact that she was almost certain that scream of wanton pleasure was from Saeko… or the idea that Naruto was the one who caused it. Both of them were red as could be listening to the… activities… on the other side.

Saya was the first to speak. "Uh… are you alright?" She only asked because the expression on Rei's face was something between outrage, horror, and… arousal.

Rei didn't answer, but couldn't help but imagine herself in Saeko's place or even in there with the other girl. If only Naruto was doing whatever _that_ was to her as well.

"Rei? Hello…?" Saya frowned as Rei had completely spaced out and a small trickle of blood was coming from her nose. "Hello…..? Earth to Rei?" She shook her head and retreated from the door. Heavens knew she wasn't going to get caught listening in at the door. Saya rubbed at her crimson cheeks. It wasn't as if she wanted to be in the other girl's place… did she?

" _Do I?"_

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **And that is it. I know you probably thought there would be more action, but so far I am taking this pretty slow. Anyway, that last pseudo-lemon was nice wasn't it? Yeah, I know, you guys don't think that counts as anything more than a mild lime…**

 **Oh well.**

 **I have a poll up by the way! On my profile for a "back in time" Naruto story that I'm working on. It's for pairings so please pick out of the girls I have and PM me if you think I'm missing an important girl!**

 **On to the next chapter then… as soon as I have it posted, which if my luck and muse hold out, shouldn't be too long! So please remember to review!**


	9. 8 Truth of the Dead

**(Updated as of 6/21/18)**

 **Hello again everyone and here is the next chapter of the story. Now there are a few questions that people have wanted answered and one in particular that everyone seems to be either overreacting to or taking out of context.**

 **Several people have mentioned my saying Saya could be more powerful than Naruto. I want to make this clear. She CAN be more powerful than Naruto, but only in the HOTD world and** _ **only**_ **because Naruto is weakened already. Just think about it. Naruto has almost been reduced to low Genin level at first. With the last two chapters he was bumped up to low Chunin. Naruto is seriously weakened and partially crippled while in the HOTD world. Saya was born there and she's as smart as Sasuke, though not near Shikamaru. The fact is she does have the potential to become powerful, but if they returned to the Elemental Nations Naruto's abilities would skyrocket far beyond anything she could achieve.**

 **So don't give me problems with Saya being strong. Besides I wanted** _ **someone**_ **besides Naruto who can actually kick ass.**

 _ **Chapter 8**_

 _Truth of the Dead_

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

The door to Naruto's apartment building closed as a small group moved silently out of the apartment building. There were five of them, walking along the sidewalk, two men and three women. At the front Naruto set the pace heading north. His face was _still_ red and he refused to look behind him… lest he catch the somewhat smug expression on Saeko's face. He couldn't get her out of his head now… Before it was hard enough to avoid thinking about her in that way. Now it was damn well impossible. She had made sure of that!

Concentrating on staying alive was actually somewhat difficult… As much as he would dislike to admit it, he enjoyed their "slightly more than a make out session" _way_ more than he should have. Whether it was his Uzumaki blood or just puberty deciding now was a good time to kick in, he didn't know. But as they stalked down the street, keeping on the lookout for the undead all the while, Naruto couldn't help but daydream a bit.

Fuck… he hated how right his sensei had turned out to be.

" _Naruto-kun…"_

Shit! He couldn't get her voice out of his head!

Naruto grimaced as he stopped everyone at a side street. This was not the time. He had to focus. Focus… Kurama idly supplied him with a mental image of Saeko just before he'd dragged her into the shower with him.

He almost tripped over his own feet.

"Naruto? You alright?"

Naruto glanced back at Saya who was giving him the suspicious rendition of the eyebrow arch. He shook his head then, realizing that was a no, nodded. She tilted her head to the side in confusion and he groaned aloud. "I'm fine…"

"Okay. Just checking. You were spacing out."

"I know…" He waved her off and turned the corner, poking his head into view long enough to scan the area. Right now they were a few blocks to their current target, that being the local market. They needed to get there without attracting too much attention.

" _Shit…"_ Naruto spotted no less than twenty walking corpses to their left and there were half a dozen spread out over the road to the right. Evidently the chaos of the previous day had drawn some of the dead out of their homes and then left them stranded on the streets when the sound died down. At least he guessed that's what had happened, seeing how some of these recently deceased were wearing less than appropriate outfits.

Point in fact one of them was butt naked save for a now very bloody pair of socks.

He muttered under his breath, something about people who didn't have the decency to die fully dressed. _"Okay…. What is the most economical and silent way to kill about two dozen zombies... I could sneak in and take them out, dropping each one silently and one at a time… Or we could all charge in as quiet as we can and cut them down quick. The question is how much noise that will actually make and who is listening."_ Naruto sighed quietly and gestured to those behind him to wait. Then he drew a long katana, running wind chakra up the blade to up the cutting power.

Ten minutes later the whole group was down and Naruto nicked a handsome orange scarf from one of his victims. A second after they were continuing on their way again.

Fortunately they didn't encounter any more of the undead, although this only made Naruto himself more suspicious. He assumed that there was some big horde of them lurking around the suburbs somewhere. He just hoped they weren't in a bad enough position to fight one any time soon. His power seemed to be coming back bit by bit. However he wasn't keen on taking chances.

Two blocks further on they spotted the market it's self. It was sitting on the corner of the block… with a large school bus straight through the front door.

Naruto grimaced as he took note of the bodies lying around. It looked like that whole lack of seatbelts thing wasn't paying off very well. Behind him Saeko moved up, flanked by Saya. Naruto's mind flashed back to the feel of her nude… hot… wet body, rubbing over his. He blushed crimson and looked in the other direction, forcing himself not to look in her eyes. Damn it… He wanted to taste her again.

"Naruto-kun… how are we doing this?" Saeko whispered.

He grunted and with and effort of will forced thoughts of ravaging her to the back of his mind. Then he pointed to the school bus. "That is blocking the front entrance rather conveniently. We'll have to take the side or back door. No telling if it's locked though. Either way it just means that we need to use caution… which is already in great demand."

They both nodded, Saeko stepping in behind him. Saya dropped back in line to follow her lead. Naruto just let out a long breath and moved forward. His eyes scanned for an alternate entrance. It was then when he remembered there was a door on the right side of the building where the delivery trucks parked. That would be a snap to open. One thing he loved about this world… their locks never had any defense against a small application of wind chakra.

"Hey Naruto, do you think we could stop by the drug store too?" He turned. Shizuka was smiling slightly, pointing to her medical bag. "We need some basic medication just in case…"

"Sure thing, but only if we don't accidentally stir up trouble. Otherwise it's fine." Naruto gestured for her to slip in behind him, which was the safest place to be at the moment. He growled inwardly as he stalked up to the bus, attempting to circle around it.

Then the corpses started moving.

The whole group watched wide eyed as the former passengers of the crashed bus shambled to their feet. It was a gruesome sight, but not dissimilar to what they'd already witnessed for the duration of this traumatizing event. The really disturbing part was that none of them had made a sound… and yet they were _waking_ regardless.

Naruto motioned to Saeko and Saya. Both girls nodded silently to him and they closed in. _"Just remember, when dealing with zombies… take sharp blade, apply blade to back of the neck, and repeat as necessary."_

A few minutes later heads were rolling down the slight incline away from the market. Naruto's eyes were narrowed even as he saw a zombie stumble into view. The young ghoul had come from the very street they just left… _"But the path was clear a second ago?"_ Naruto forced himself to ignore the eccentric dead and circled around the bus…

… just barely dodging around another corpse who decided to wait in the shadow of the crashed vehicle. Naruto quietly decapitated the creature and caught its head before it could thump to the concrete. He'd lifted his foot to prevent the body crashing to the asphalt, but now he let the body down slowly with his foot, making sure not to make any more noise than needed. Ideally he wouldn't be making any… but he had what accounted for a bunch of bumbling civilians in toe. Silence was not their forte.

Speaking of which.

Naruto turned around, his gaze on Shizuka… and mainly her feet. He'd been too distracted by his own ponderings and dealing with the dead to pay attention. Stupid really. He should have noticed the ever so faint clicking sound and scraping of her shoes on the ground.

He glanced at the rest of the group. Saeko and Saya were silent enough. Saya in her sneakers wasn't making too much excess noise, while Saeko's shoes were much more prone to click as she walked… she was sneaky enough to make up for it. Hisashi was wearing similar shoes to Saya…

Shizuka on the other hand with her low heeled shoes and rigid build… They were as far as one could get to sneaking. _"And damn I must be losing my edge if I'm missing little details like this. I seriously need to get my ninja senses back. My combat skills aren't quite as rusty, and I don't need to be Jonin material to kill the walking dead. But I need my instincts to come back before I make some tiny mistake and get one of us killed."_

He quickly bent down and motioned for Shizuka to stop. He then mimed slipping his shoes off and mouthed for her to do the same.

Reluctantly she complied, taking off her heels and setting them by the side of the bus. Naruto frowned as he considered what to do about the situation. This made her much more silent, but she was prone to stepping on all kinds of debris that would end up slowing them down.

A moment later he made up his mind and nodded for them to follow. They did so, Shizuka being as careful as she could not to step on anything sharp.

The side door to the market was a plain steel affair with a simple knob handle. This bothersome bit of metal came off with a small application of wind chakra. Naruto then cut the bolt in the same way and pulled the door open.

Inside it was understandably dark. There wasn't much in the way of illumination past the door.

As a ninja Naruto was used to this, but he knew the others wouldn't be. Which meant they needed a light source. Naruto paused and felt along the wall hoping that… despite the bus crashed into the front of the store and any number of other electronic issues… that the lights would still work.

With a snick the overhead lights turned on, exposing the corridor to their luminescence. Naruto waved for the rest of the group to follow him and moved inside, all the while making sure to point out loose noise makers on the floor. Things like empty soda cans or tools.

Thankfully the place seemed decently clean. It was more than he could say for the front of the market, with the bus crashed in the front…

Naruto mentally prepared himself as they reached the end of the corridor. The door to the right proved that it was the stock room… while the door to the left must have led to the public portion of the market. Naruto had no interest in the public part of the place. While he doubted it had been looted with all the dead still lingering about outside… he was sure that it would just be easier if he took what they needed from the storage room.

With that in mind he reached for the door handle. It turned easy in his grasp and he pushed it open. Inside it was dark again. Naruto reached for the light and flicked it on.

Behind him Shizuka made a little cry of happiness. All the food stacked in neat rows along the far wall was a sight for sore eyes. Naruto smirked and entered. Behind him the rest of the group shuffled in.

"Close the door."

Hisashi nodded and did exactly that. He then stood by to keep an ear out for anything approaching from the other side.

Naruto nodded in approval and looked back to the stacks of food. He gave the whole room a quick once over. Then he made four shadow clones and removed the "food" scroll, handing it to them to fill. As soon as they pulled out the ink and brushes he turned to the others in the group. "Okay… so it's going to take a while to seal all the food away. Since each seal will have to be drawn manually the first time. I think… judging by how much is here that it'll take about two hours to finish."

He turned his attention to Saeko and Hisashi. Both of you are good fighters, but since Hisashi's skill lies with hand to hand combat he should be better to guard the door. Saeko needs more room to swing a sword." Naruto glanced to Saya. "You don't really have any style at all. I personally don't have much skill with a sword. It's mostly just sheer agility and strength for me. But I know the same Kenjutsu style that my friend Sasuke uses. I'm just not so sure that I can teach it."

Saya shrugged. "I'm good learning whatever you feel like teaching for now. I really don't know enough about chakra and all that to even know what I would want to learn." She glanced at Hisashi. "Although I'm not too fond of using my bare hands, especially on _those_ things. Maybe you could teach me Ninjutsu or whatever you called it."

"I will, but there is the small problem that I don't know that many jutsu. Plus my main element is wind. That's the most uncommon elemental affinity there is _so_ … most of the jutsu that I do know would probably be really hard for you." Naruto scratched his chin thoughtfully. As I said earlier, we're going to have to experiment to figure out your elemental release."

Saeko raised his eyebrow. "Isn't there some mystic… method… that you use to determine it when you don't have the ability to do it normally?"

"No." He shook his head. "Unfortunately even if there is something like that, I have no clue how to do it. As far as I know the only accurate ways to measure your elemental affinity is by using chakra paper or through trial and error. Don't worry. I know at least one jutsu from each element. It's just that they're kinda weak. Hell, the best Fire Jutsu I know won't do more than light a campfire."

"So to put it in more simple terms I'll try each jutsu to see which one comes more naturally?"

"Basically." Naruto nodded. "Learning your own element is far easier than learning one that you don't have an affinity for. My sensei Jiraiya, Kami bless his pervy soul, had two affinities. One for fire and one for earth although his earth affinity was pretty weak."

Saya walked over to stand next to him as he pulled out a couple of shuriken, spinning them on his fingers as a way to pass the time. She asked, "Two affinities? I thought you said…"

"That most people only have one. My friend Sakura only had one. My first sensei only had one. But it isn't unheard of to have a strong main affinity and a weaker side affinity. Even I might have two. You never know. Jiraiya told me that secondary affinities usually don't show using the chakra paper test method because your dominant element overrides the weaker one. My main element is wind… which means I could have for instance… an affinity for lightning, but if I did then the superior nature of the wind would mask its presence."

"I see. Is it possible to have three or more?"

"Possible… but super rare. Once when I asked my sensei he told me there was once a clan in the southeast… in a country called the Land of Water. The entire clan was born with three affinities. Supposedly they were lightning, wind, and fire… which makes plasma release, a Kekkei Tota. But the whole clan was wiped out during the first Great War." Naruto shrugged. "Otherwise there isn't a single living user of a natural Kekkei Tota. And… there is only a single artificial user… but he was taught by the one who had it naturally."

"Wow… so their like super powerful I take it?"

"Well…" Naruto grinned. "The Tsuchikage, who is the only man alive who uses three elements in perfect combination, uses a Ninjutsu style called Dust Release. Pr particle style if you prefer. I wouldn't even have anything to compare it to back in my world."

Saya coughed nervously. "And here?"

"He could basically break stuff down at the atomic level. Think of it as this little ninety year old man who could make nuclear warheads out of thin air."

Saeko, Hisashi, and Saya all looked at him like he'd grown a second head. Saeko blinked owlishly for a moment and said what everyone else was thinking. "Holy shit."

Saya and Hisashi just nodded.

"And just think how powerful the original user was? The Tsuchikage only did what he did through pure skill. Imagine what he could have done if he was born to do that. But anyway… His attacks were only small scale from what I remember. Although they were pretty much certain kill techniques. I have attacks that did more actual damage… but I can't use them right now since they take and insane amount of chakra."

"You can use an attack as powerful as a nuclear bomb?!" Saya demanded. "How is that possible?!"

"Well… When you have a giant demon trapped inside your gut that is made of pure chakra... there are a couple of perks to take advantage of. One of the perks for me is that I have a ton of chakra to draw on." He chuckled inwardly. "But now that I think about it there are problems with it. Since I've been trapped here my chakra is barely enough to keep me going at Chunin level. So… for the first time in my life I can actually use low level jutsu. Normally I have too much chakra and overpower weaker jutsu."

"That sounds reasonable… I think…"

Saya seemed to be having a hard time believing that a "lack of minor jutsu" was a just consequence of having that much power. Apparently she wasn't aware of the potential those small jutsu had. The Clone jutsu was potent. Compare it to the Shadow clone and it didn't stack up very well… but normal clones were still immensely useful. You just needed an active imagination to make them deadly.

Saeko on the other hand… she was watching him with a slightly predatory look. He had a hunch that she was considering him her boyfriend at the moment… or something close to it. And that currently she was thinking about her boyfriend being powerful enough to compare himself to a nuclear bomb. She obviously liked the idea.

After all, how many other girls in this world could boast to that? He thought the number to be quite low… somewhere near zero.

Then again could she really consider him to be her boyfriend?

No. No she couldn't, but…

He blushed hard and looked away from her, trying hard and failing not to dredge up the mental image of her naked body. That creamy skin glossy with water, her pink lips inches from his own… Naruto swallowed hard as he was perfectly aware that she was smiling now.

Obviously she'd noticed he was thinking about her.

He turned his focus to his clones who were busy drawing seals. Ever few moments a can or bag would disappear into a seal and they would move onto the next item. He frowned, debating as to whether or not he should create a few more clones and speed up the process.

It might not be a good idea though. As it was Shadow clones were still a huge drain on his chakra. Six was most of it all in one go. He could make, at the very most, four more clones. If he did that it would cut down significantly on the amount of time it took to seal all this food. But at the same time he would be reduced to manipulating the chakra inside his own body to make himself stronger and faster. He wouldn't be able to do any Ninjutsu techniques with his chakra reserves mostly exhausted.

However the real issue was that these clones would each last only a few hours at most. He couldn't afford to make clones that lasted for three or four days like he could back in the Elemental nations. That shit just wouldn't fly with his current chakra reserves as shot as they were. So once the supplies were sealed these clones would be toast and his chakra would be shot. Of course that meant if they were attacked by a large group of the dead on the way back… he wouldn't be able to spam clones like the last time.

Back home he never felt chakra exhaustion except in the most dire of circumstances… and never like he did here. If he wasted his chakra here then he would feel the repercussions as an intense wave of lethargy, making it difficult to fight. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it would be fighting another ninja, but if he slipped up here and got bitten… well he'd probably be fucked five ways from Sunday.

-snick-

"Hey Naruto, did you hear that?"

Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts as Hiashi stepped away from the door. "Huh? No I didn't hear anything odd if that's what you mean. Why? Did you hear something?"

"Yeah." Hisashi frowned. "It sounded like a click… like if to tap on glass with your nail… except it was louder."

"On the other side of the door?"

"Yep."

Naruto moved across the room, drawing a kunai as he did so. "Okay… I'll check it out. You stay here. The clones can protect you if need be."

Saeko adjusted herself. "Can I come with?"

"There isn't really a need for you to come…."

"But I want to." She smiled and turned on her heel to move to the door as well. "I'll watch your back Naruto-kun."

He swallowed audibly and nodded. "I… guess so." Naruto stepped past Hisashi, who'd backed away from the door. Taking a deep breath he opened the door slowly and entered the hallway. He glanced down the hall first then peered at the door across from the store room. It didn't seem as though anything was out of the ordinary… or at least outside the typical everyday zombie apocalypse.

Another step out of the room and he heard it.

-snick-

Although the sound was more like a tap than anything else… and there was a metallic quality to the sound he couldn't quite place. He frowned and left the room, quickly followed by the wary form of Saeko. The samurai girl held her blade at the ready, fully prepared to lop heads off at a moment's notice.

Naruto felt something pricking the hairs on the back of his neck. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. It was one of those feelings like when he was still a child, staring up at his ceiling in the middle of the night. A soft clicking coming from his closet…. Or under the bed. His gaze hardened as he clutched his kunai tighter. He hadn't felt this primal tension crawling up his spine since he was first made a Genin. That night in the forest of Death facing down Orochimaru.

But even then he was more powerful than today. Right now… he was weak. Sure nothing existed in this world that he couldn't kill… but compared to how he once as, some caution was called for.

A soft crunch of debris under foot caused him to wince. Saeko had just stepped on something.

-snick-

Naruto's eyes darted to the right and left, scanning the corridor and the light of the outside world ahead of them.

Why did he feel this… was it fear? No it wasn't that, but something close. It was apprehension. As though there was something to be afraid of, something to step lightly around. Naruto growled within the confines of his own mind and stepped forward quickly, pacing down the hallway in complete and utter silence. Behind him Saeko made no move. Her own movement had stopped when she heard the sound come again.

He put thoughts of her on the backburner and focused ahead, attempting to pinpoint that sound as it came again… slightly louder with proximity to the source.

-Snick-

" _What is that?"_

Naruto arrived at the entrance to the building and peered out into the bright sunlight. His eyes adjusted quickly, showing nothing overly wrong. The outside of the market was the loading zone for supply trucks. Beyond that the street lay… Not even the living dead or birds could be seen. He sighed and was about to turn away when something caught in the corner of his eye.

He froze.

-Snick-

Naruto held his breath as he stepped forward into the light.

He stared.

To his right, couched atop the totaled school bus was something straight out of a low budget horror movie. It looked humanoid, save that everything was… just wrong. It had the appearance of a naked man with the palest alabaster skin… like slick wet parchment. Its skin seemed to be pulled roughly over withered muscles and protruding bones. The neck, forearms, and legs were all sickeningly long, appearing stretched. The worst part was the ribcage.

The creature's chest was… gone. It didn't even look like it had organs, save that he could clearly see the beating heart just under its skin. The ribs poked out, protruding far more than looked possible. The cartilage was rotted away, leaving curved spear points.

Naruto wanted to do nothing more than vomit just _looking_ at it.

In his mind he could only compare it to a zetsu clone… except they didn't look as though they'd rotted for a few months and then been resurrected.

-snick-

Naruto's eyes were drawn down the grotesque body to its rear… from which a long tail protruded. It was bony, just like the rest of it. And the tip was swinging by the side of the bus, tapping the glass of one broken window every few seconds… occasionally scratching against the metal.

That was what had alerted him to its presence. Otherwise he would have never noticed it. The thing had almost no presence in the flow of nature… He _couldn't_ feel it.

The rest of it made no move what so ever. Its body, crouched there like a predatory cat, was utterly still. Only the tail's sweeps… and the deep set blind eyes showed it wasn't a stone statue.

Naruto blinked.

The _thing_ licked its lips, a deep purple swollen tongue, darting out to taste the air.

It was somehow very wrong that it did _that_. The movement looked so… repulsive, but it was the feeling that flooded him afterwards that made the action nauseating. Naruto let out the breath he'd held and began drawing on his chakra.

The instant he did so the creature, turned away and leaped. It leaped like a cat, moving on all fours. But that wasn't what startled Naruto. It was the fact that the thing landed on the roof of a shop across the street that freaked him out. Naruto watched as it straightened and turned back to stare intently at him. Those white eyes reminded him of a Hyuuga, but the unrestrained hunger lying in them scared him.

Yes… scared him. Beyond anything else he'd ever seen in this world those eyes made him shiver.

The thing…. Smiled… as if sensing his unease and taking pleasure in it. Naruto's eyes narrowed and in a burst of motion hurled his kunai with all the force he could muster. The creature tried to move but it was too slow to dodge the chakra enhanced projectile at that range. Naruto was a master of wind manipulation by now and he'd made sure the kunai was going fast enough to catch anything below Jonin rank even if it tried to evade.

The kunai blew through its chest and out the other side. A spray of black blood could be seen coming out of it on the other side. Then it was in motion, leaping away as fast as it could. Naruto watched it go, less than satisfied with his aim. He'd intended on sending the kunai through the thing's heart… but he missed.

A second passed and it was out of sight. Naruto quickly turned on his heel and sped into the building, grabbing Saeko by the back of the shirt as he went and dragging her into the supply room. He didn't realize he'd gone as pale as paper until Saya spoke up.

"Naruto?! What's wrong?!"

He swallowed hard and let go of Saeko. He shivered again. "I saw something… something completely unnatural. It looked like a monster out of a Resident Evil movie. And it was just sitting on top of the bus… staring at me like one of those freaky dolls from the horror films. It _could_ see me which was even worse."

"W..wait! You're saying that there's some kind of super zombie out there like in the video games?!" Hisashi looked quite pale now as well. "That's messed up. We didn't even bring guns since we didn't want to make noise!"

"No, settle down. I have guns sealed away that I carry at all times. What I'm worried about is the fact that jumped from the top of the bus… all the way to the roof of a building across the street. Which means it must he far stronger physically than the usual walking dead. This thing could tear someone apart with ease…" He glanced around the room for a second, taking in their uncertain looks. Then he turned to his clones. "How much food have you packed?"

"About enough for a week and a half, considering the size of the group."

Naruto didn't really like the sound of that. "Saya, how long would it take for our group to reach your parent's estate traveling in the bus… assuming there are no detours?"

"I don't know two hours at most."

"And how long would it take on foot?"

She frowned. "Most of a day probably, but if we had to go around populated areas and the like it might take a few days to get there. It's not far really… it's just that conditions aren't good for vehicles. And the bus isn't maneuverable."

"Yeah.. I know." It didn't sit well with him that their only means of quick transportation was a bus of all things. Even if it wasn't as big as the main school bus it was still twice the size of any vehicle on the road. And with how quick this all started… there were a lot of cars and trucks crowding the roads. In some places a bus would simply be a waste of time. Meaning that if they did use the bus… then in all likelihood they would be forced to abandon it.

"Well… how much food do we really need? You said we had enough food already for at least a week, maybe even two. Plus this makes three weeks right? That would be more than enough to get us to Saya's house complications or not."

Naruto scowled. "Maybe not… I'm considering the possibility of having to go far out of our way as well… along with the issue that we need water as well."

"So what is the issue?" Saeko asked. "It's not as if we can't resupply easily. With this sealing ability we can restock our supplies to a far greater extent than usual. Instead of only taking what we can carry, we can bring everything we have time to pack… right?"

"Yes…"

"Then what's the problem? Are you thinking that whatever you saw just now may do something?"

Naruto's stomach churned at the mention of that… thing. Yes… That was what he was thinking. He didn't know why… but he had an almost… surreal idea that the creature was going to do everything in its power to kill them. It wasn't a feeling he'd felt in a long time and what was worse… its presence in the world around it… It had blended in completely. Looking directly at it, into those milky white eyes, they seemed like sunken pits. He could _feel_ its malice.

But he could sense nothing with his natural talent for such things. That thing wasn't stupid or blind like the rest of the zombies. It had acted like nothing so much as a feral cat, stalking its prey and fleeing when caught.

Was there a real tangible reason why he suspected it was intelligent? No… not really. It was just something in its eyes that made him very uneasy.

Or… no. There was something that made him think it was more than just some instinctual creature. That _smile_ it had flashed him… lips, cracked and dry peeling back to show white teeth, slowly turning yellow.

He couldn't explain why, but he knew he'd see that thing again… soon.

"Well what do we do Naruto?!"

Naruto gritted his teeth, hating the fact that something could unnerve him like this and hating his own weakness even more because of it. If he had even a tenth of his usual power then that creature would have been toast. Hell even if he could have used Sage mode just now he probably could have killed it..

But he _wasn't_ as powerful as he once was. And that monster was something that would push him to his limits in a fight. Just knowing it was strong enough to propel itself nearly twenty feet in the air and across a street mean it was several times stronger than a normal human. Probably Chunin or low Jonin level strength.

Caution had been needed before. But from now on he was convinced that paranoia would be his MO until further notice.

He turned to the group around him. "This is what's going to happen. We'll wait here until we finish packing all the food we can. Then we hightail it back to the apartment."

Shizuka whined a bit at that. "But we _need_ medicine. You may be able to heal fast but we can't."

"I know…" He closed his eyes for a moment. "But I don't feel safe going around town even by myself. That thing, whatever it was, could easily kill someone who doesn't have my level of skill. I couldn't live with myself if any of you died simply to get a few drugs."

"Naruto…" Saya swallowed hard after hearing him voice those words aloud. "…I didn't realize you cared that much about us? Shouldn't…"

"I don't care about any of that Saya-chan. You're my friends and I while I couldn't save most of the others at the school… or really anyone else in this whole town, I'm determined not to let any of you die. I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn't let any of my friends lose their lives because of me." He glanced at each of them in turn. "And I always keep my promises."

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

By the time Naruto and his scavenging party returned to the apartment they were all rather weary and Naruto personally was starting to hate the walking dead as much as burnt ramen. Which was saying something because he absolutely despised burnt ramen.

It seemed to him that the zombies of this particular apocalypse were even more troublesome than they were in movies.

Like seriously! The horrific zombie thing was all but driven from his mind as their trip back was the polar opposite of what it had been. Since it seemed that there were more dead around every corner. Honestly how were so many dead able to move into the area they had been in not three hours before?! On the way there they'd encountered less than three dozen… and on the way back they'd maneuvered passed more than two hundred!

And near the end of it he'd ended up cleaving through about fifty of them just to clear the area in front of the apartment building.

He just couldn't understand… where had they all come from all of a sudden? It was like they were a fucking plot device being used by a TV show director with no sense of logic! For god's sake they could have at least been moaning like the damned! At least then Naruto would know where they were instead of having to constantly backtrack.

Anyway, now that he was back in the apartment there were things to take care of and plans to discuss. He'd already told everyone about the… whatever the hell it was… that he'd seen on the bus. Most of them were understandably freaked out at the thought of a super-zombie. Not that he wasn't. And the undeniable fact was that he might be mid Chunin level as far as reserves went right now.

That wasn't a lot. And he wasn't healing the way he used to either. All it would take is one reckless decision on his part or a careless act by one of his group and he _could_ be injured. Admittedly he could still take on a horde of the walking dead even missing an arm or a leg, but that really wasn't the point. Taking chances now was like signing your own death certificate.

Maybe if he could boost his strength back up to Jonin level he could stop worrying so much, but at it was… he was still in the red.

"Hey… Naruto-san? Are you out there?"

Naruto turned to see Hisashi walking out onto the building's balcony. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Well, I just wanted to say thank you. You know I didn't think so much about you back in school. You always put on this act of being an antisocial punk. But I can see now why you did that. You were afraid of making friends weren't you?"

"I…" Naruto blinked stupidly for a moment, wondering where this had come from. But eventually he just nodded and looked back out over the streets.

Hisashi smiled bitterly and moved to lean over the rail with Naruto. "I keep thinking Naruto… why all of this happened… And why so suddenly? But I suppose that's natural right? To wonder why something tragic happens?"

Naruto nodded again. "You've got that right."

There was a long moment where neither of them spoke, merely looking out at the milling dead and deserted (at least of living people) streets. Then Hisashi glanced to the blond. "Did you mean what you said before? About possibly letting us come with you back to your world… if you ever found a way?"

"Yeah. It's a stupid idea though. My world is probably still at war. At least here you can fight but where I come from even the weakest child soldier could kill you easily. Unless you got lucky or something… I'm hoping that the war is over when I get home."

"Not a bad thing to hope for."

"No… not at all." Naruto sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "I'm just so tired of all this crap. Before… back in my world all I knew was conflict. Open war didn't break out until I was sixteen or so, but everything was still fucked all to hell. And then coming here… The politics, the useless pride of the leaders, the even more pointless wars. I mean… where I come from there are plenty of different religions. But we've never had even a minor religious war. Then if that wasn't bad enough, living in this fucked up world, the freaking zombie apocalypse had to happen."

Hiashi chuckled. "I know. When I was little me and my cousin used to play make believe and pretend we were fighting zombie hordes. Almost seems like god is playing a bad prank on us huh?"

"Do you believe in a god Hisashi?"

"Not really. I'm of the opinion that if god is supposed to give us free will then we should just live our lives and try not to worry about it. And if he doesn't and this is all there is then so be it. Looking for a deeper meaning in life is useless for the most part unless you're willing to lie to yourself or find your own purpose. I decided to go about my life and try not to get involved with it."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I never even went that far. Until I came here and saw how much everyone fights over gods I didn't even think about any kind of god. Not even on a weekly basis, unless I was cursing someone out. Then of course I'd tell someone to _go to hell_ and all that."

Hisashi sighed. "It's strange isn't it? Even a week ago who would have thought this would be happening?"

No one… or well.. no one sane at any rate."

"So…"

Naruto glanced back at him. "So what?"

"So about Shido…"

There was a silence as they stared at each other, then Naruto returned his gaze to the street below them. "What about the guy?"

Hisashi shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to lean against the balcony rail. He stared forward for a long moment as if finding the right words for what he was going to say. It took a while, but eventually he started. "I'm not a violent person Naruto. I tend to go along to get along. But even I wonder whether it would be better to cut Shido loose. He has nothing to offer the group and I have no doubt he'll cause more than his share of problems."

"True enough. He gives assholes the world over a bad name." He shook his head ruefully. "I think I know what you're really asking. And to be honest I'm not sure."

"You know he's only behaving right now to keep up appearances."

"I'm not fooled." Naruto gripped the balcony rail tightly, his knuckles bleaching of color. "If he thinks he can earn my trust he's mistaken. I've already met men like him. If he does _anything_ to hurt the rest of us I'll leave him behind."

Hisashi let out a long sigh. "I thought so."

"You think that's cruel of me? To throw someone to the wolves like that?"

"In a way yes… In a way no…"

Naruto released his grip and turned to walk back into the apartment. "Just help me keep an eye on him. Tell me if he does anything suspicious."

"And what about his flunkies? Most of the group would throw their lot in with you… myself included. Are you okay with leaving them behind too?"

"I promised to help my friends. I'll help Shido too, but I won't go out of my way to save them if they side with that ass."

"Just checking. Shall we go back in?"

Naruto opened the sliding glass door to the apartment, gesturing for him to enter with a sly grin. "Ladies first."

"Now who's the ass?"

Naruto grinned and pushed him inside.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **And that's the end of this chapter! Damn it's been a while since I wrote on this story, but I got some inspiriation and I'm back on the case! Please don't expect another chapter for a week or so though. That's as soon as you can expect the next one. Lots of work to do ya know!**

 **Anyway, as always reviews are appreciated and constructive criticism is a plus. Don't be a stranger! And remember. I never abandon a story. I just take a break for a while.**


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